Severus busied around what passed for a medical room with a deep scowl on his face. There was nothing of use in any of the cupboards and the drawers were just as bad. How the hell was he meant to fight an infection with nothing? He was surprised Hermione hadn't insisted on cultivating some herbs in the garden, it would go a long way to help them, especially with her knowledge, and that of Neville, he added grudgingly.

"Hermione!" he snapped. Swallowing when he heard how sharp he was, he shut the door softly and turned to look for her. Her pallor had not improved since the fight outside and he was worried that she would fall into a swoon. She looked around and blinked a couple of times. "Snap out of it girl!" he barked.

"She's always like this after a fight." Moody growled as he held his still bleeding arm, "Give her about ten minutes and she'll be back to herself again."

He gave a curt nod before turning back to his patient, "Is there anything that resembles a first aid kit anywhere in this building?" he asked. Moody had begun to pale; a slight sheen of sweat forming on his skin, though that could be because of the pain he was in.

"Not anymore," he replied.

"Bandages?"

"Try the bottom drawer," Moody said as he indicated a drawer beneath the table on which he sat. Severus yanked it open and discovered there were indeed a few supplies in there. A triangular sling, an extra-large torso dressing and a few gauzes were all that was left. Snatching up the massive body dressing, he tore it from the package and unravelled it. Placing it on the wound, he staunched the blood with minimal effort and waited for a while.

"So, there are no other supplies within the prison?" he asked.

"No," Hermione said as she sank down beside Moody, "When we arrived, there was enough to treat whoever was injured but we've run low on supplies."

"And you didn't think it worth the effort to go and collect some more?" he asked as he tied off the bandage.

"Of course!" she replied. "But there's the little problem of the Restless between us and the new equipment." He gave a nod and urged her to continue as he stepped back and looked at the oversized bandage on the scruffy man's arm. "Perhaps we could have gone and raided one of the towns but the Restless are not the only dangers around. Pontefract, the nearest town, is ruled by some people you'll be keen to not see." Her demeanour changed when she mentioned these people and his spine stiffened.

"Who?"

"The Malfoy's," she said. His black eyes met her amber ones with a steady gaze.

"Lucius is still going then?" he asked as he raised a brow. She nodded, remaining silent on the matter, making him wonder whether there was more to it or not. Dismissing the thought until a later date, he turned back to the matter at hand. "Either way, we need medicine. The worst kind of bite for infection and passing disease is the human one. It's liable that Moody here will fall ill and die as I have nothing to clean the wound with."

"Thank you for your overwhelming confidence in my vitality," he muttered. Severus shrugged, there was no point hiding the truth from the bad tempered man.

"I'll speak to Harry, perhaps we can make a trip into Pontefract for some bits," she said. Her tone of voice told him that she was more than tired. It was the shock of the fight no doubt and he merely nodded a response.

"Alistair, I advise you do nothing more strenuous that perhaps eat." The man grunted before leaving the room on steady feet. Without him beside her, Hermione slumped backwards and let out a sigh. Severus took her hand in his and gave them a gentle squeeze. "We should fetch some supplies and see if we can find some herbs to plant in the garden," he said. She half opened one of her eyes and nodded.

"I've been suggesting it for months but after a vicious fight the last time we went there, Harry is reluctant to send us there again," Hermione said. Her hands curled up and clasped his in hers. He was distressed to notice how his pulse quickened and how her pupils dilated as well.

"I'd go with you," he said.

"I know, maybe just the pair of us could go. It would be safer at least."

"Hmm," he nodded. He wanted to say something more, something that would comfort her but the words died on his lips and he found that all he could do was stare at her like some adolescent boy. Hermione scooted a little closer to him and the next thing he knew, her arms were around his narrow waist and her head rested on his shoulder. What the hell was she even doing? Had she forgotten everything about who he'd been? Still, his temperature rose as she embraced him and he knew his cheeks were flushed.

"This is the part where you put your arms around me too and tell me we'll be alright," she whispered in a low, soft voice. He complied with her first wish but there was no way he felt comfortable with the second.

"It would be a lie," he replied as she relaxed in his arms. Her weight was slight but she felt amazing when she leaned against him. It had been so very long since he'd had someone else's arms around him. He couldn't even remember how long ago it was now.

"Then lie to me," she replied. The slight tang of blood hit his nose as she shifted a little but it didn't make the situation disgusting. Her scent was beneath the smell and that was what he savoured.

"I'm not going to lie," he said. Maybe he should but he couldn't bring herself to do so. Maybe to anyone else, but not to her, he let her hold onto him for a long moment until a slight cough at the door brought him back to where he was. Lavender was standing in the doorway. Hermione straightened and he let his arms fall to the side.

"Pardon, didn't mean to interrupt," she said, a deep flush on her face coloured her red all the way to the tips of her hair.

"It's nothing Lavender," Hermione said. Her word stung more than he thought they would. Clearly it wasn't 'nothing', not to him at least and if she thought he would be free with his affections then she had another thought coming! He folded his arms over his chest in displeasure and turned to Lavender with a stern expression on his face. The poor girl paled visibly but he refused to hide his irritation at the interruption.

"What can we do for you?" he asked. None of his annoyance showed in his cool voice however and Lavender relaxed a little.

"It's Hermione I need," she said. He gave a nod and stepped away from her. Hermione jumped off the bed and stretched her arms up, appearing to shake off the stupor she had been in not moments before.

"Alright," she said, "I'll see you in a bit Severus." He gave her a nod before she turned away. The moment she left, the room was colder and he felt the walls close in immediately. Dismissing the thoughts as idiotic, he cleaned the room up with the few supplies that were there before heading back to his cell. He needed to have a serious word with himself about what was going on.

As soon as he returned to his cell, he threw himself back on the bed and forced his eyes shut. Don't lose your head just because someone bothered to hug you. All she was after was a little bit of comfort after the fight that had her friends nearly killed. That was all, nothing more and nothing less. Sure, it may have been the first warm body against yours for an eternity. The thought made wayward parts of his body react in long forgotten ways and he grumbled under his breath. This was ridiculous! Rolling over onto his side, he forced the whole thing from his mind and willed it to be silent. Hermione was just being a friend and needed some comfort. He kept that thought in mind as he picked up his book. Opening it to the last page he'd been reading, he took some comfort in familiar words he found there. Eventually, his eyes became heavy and he drifted off into a heavy slumber.

He was awoken a few hours later by a hot hand pressing against his cheek. His eyes flicked open as his hand caught the one on his skin. Before he knew what he was doing, the skin was pressed to his lips and he had laced the fingers with his own. He knew exactly who it was, he recognised her scent. "What is it?" he asked as his eyes met Hermione's.

"We have permission to go to Pontefract." Hermione whispered. He noted that her eyes had also widened and that she looked slightly flushed. Was that from the contact of his mouth on the back of her hand or had she been flushed already?

"What changed Potter's mind?" he asked, using the boys surname like he always had without thinking.

"Moody is sick."

Severus paled; he knew exactly what that meant. If he died because of the bite, he'd be a Restless after that. Something that everyone was keen to avoid. It would be most unpleasant if he had to be killed by one of their team. Hermione's eyes reflected that horror and he knew it. Dropping her hand, he sat up from the bed and gave a nod.

"We need to leave as soon as we can, it's nearly a full day's walk from here and we need to move as quickly as possible." Hermione said.

"Give me ten minutes." She gave a nod. She gave his hand a slight squeeze before rising and leaving the cell. Looking around, he picked up his pack and began placing in it the things he knew he would need over the next few days. Dry clothes, a spare knife and above all, that book he'd borrowed from the library. He then added a couple of the rations he had spare from his time out there alone and sighed. This was going to be an awful trip!