I'm not sure if the end of this chapter is a bit lame or not.

Thanks still for the people still reading this. I'm making a real effort to continue updating. If it starts to really turn into crap though someone please let me know.

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Hermione fell deep into a dreamless sleep the second her head hit the pillow. Unfortunately morning was close around the corner. Hermione found herself being awoken, what felt like a couple of minutes after falling asleep.

Groggily Hermione made her way to the bathroom. She jerked the door open without a second thought and was greeted with quite a sight.

Snape stood clad in nothing but a towel; he stood in front of the mirror razor in hand.

Apparently he hadn't noticed Hermione yet so she was afforded a second to take in his scantily clad form.

His chest was littered with scars large, small, old, and new. He also looked very much like a skeleton; all bones.

He leaned a little farther over the sink; Hermione could count, from her place in the doorway, every one of his ribs. Before she finally announced herself she resolved to try to be Molly Weasley and fatten the man up.

"Ahem," Hermione mock coughed.

Snape spun to stare at her. His face brightened to a rosy shade of red and Hermione had to restrain her desire to comment.

"Granger, I'm a little busy," he snarled at her.

"Sorry, but I need to get ready too." Hermione replied staying exactly where she was.

Snape glared at her and turned back to finish his task. Hermione refusing to leave him alone until he relinquished the bathroom walked in and sat down on the edge of the tub ready to wait.

Snape was distracted by, Hermione's infuriating, stubbornness and cut a long line down his cheek.

Hermione leapt up and grabbed a towel from the rack. She walked over and instantly pressed the towel over the shallow gash.

Snape's eyes were glazed and Hermione wasn't quite sure what was wrong.

His hand moved and she noticed he was staring very intently at it. She noticed that it had a good deal of blood on it and that it was beginning to shake. In fact Snape's entire body was starting to shake.

Hermione helped him over to the seat she'd just vacated on the tub rim.

He was bleeding pretty badly but Hermione didn't worry it was only a superficial cut it was just badly placed.

She wasn't sure what was wrong with Snape he was still shaking slightly and couldn't seem to tear his glazed eyes from his blood covered hand.

Hermione ignored his evident mental issues and kept pressure on the cut as she whipped her wand out, a quick accio later and Hermione had a full arsenal of dittany and bandages.

"Hold still," Hermione gently commanded, as she poured some dittany onto a clean portion of the towel she'd been using. She whipped off some more excess blood then dabbed on the dittany.

Snape seemed to be coming back to himself, he stiffened under her ministrations and seemed extremely irritated with her as the sting of dittany set in.

"Are you finished yet?" Snape growled as Hermione started to bandage the wound.

"Almost, be patient," Hermione snapped back at him.

"I wouldn't have to 'be patient' if someone hadn't distracted me while shaving." He threw back.

Hermione just huffed and continued to bandage.

After she was finished Snape stalked out of the bathroom; and Hermione finally had the room to herself.

She hurried threw brushing her teeth, then she tried to run a brush threw the mass of curls attached to her head; which didn't work very well.

Hermione finished in the bathroom then ran back into her room to hastily throw some clothes on. With about ten minutes until breakfast ended Hermione was completely ready for the day, and Snape was nowhere to be found.

Hermione waited and tapped her foot as the minutes ticked by.

Eventually she went in search of the missing man.

She found him sitting on his bed still in the towel. She wondered if she should announce her arrival. She didn't need to he noticed her and turned.

"Sorry, how long till breakfast's over?" He looked hopeful that they hadn't missed it.

"About five minutes ago," she said with a tiny consoling laugh.

Snape frowned and turned back around.

Hermione walked over to the bed and sat down across from him facing the open doorway.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked in a hushed tone. Hermione turned a little and say Snape shrug; which she took as a yes.

"What happened to you in the bathroom?" a long silence followed. Hermione became more anxious by the moment. She feared she'd made him angry with her probing.

She continued to wait and eventually a long sigh escaped his throat.

"In Azkaban, one of the guards took an interest in me," Snape said in an equally hushed tone. "He was the one that showed you to my cell that one day, I believe." Snape paused for a moment.

Hermione didn't know where any of this was going.

"He would come about once every three days and beat me to his heart's content," Snape whispered. Hermione had to put all her concentration into hearing him.

"He didn't seem to have anything against me personally; he must've just liked causing pain."

Hermione turned to look as his scarred back.

"One day he got a little carried away and I was sure I would die." He sounded like he was a million miles away. "I remember, then, that my back felt funny. I put my hand back to feel what was wrong."

Hermione wished to stop him to say she didn't need to tell her this. That she wasn't who he should be telling; but a though occurred to her that he didn't have anyone else to tell.

"I remember my back feeling very warm and slippery; when I brought my hand up to my eyes it was covered in blood." She could see a shudder run through his thin frame. "When I cut my face and saw the blood on my hand, I was back there dying."

She watched Snape hunch forward a little and begin to shake.

"Please leave me alone," he choked out.

Hermione in a daze stood up and walked quietly back into her room. She flopped down on her bed and tried to process all she'd just heard.

The kind guard she'd thought was so helpful, had nearly murdered the man in the room next to hers.

Hermione's brain couldn't seem to digest that information. She lay there for a couple of hours her mind running like a dog trying to catch it's own tail.

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Hermione heard a timid knock on her door. She bolted upright and stared at the solid wood barrier.

"Yes?" Her voice cracked a little, due to her prolonged silence.

"It's nearly dinner." She heard Snape's voice through the door. "Since you missed breakfast due to me, I thought I'd help you avoid missing dinner also."

Hermione called she'd be a minute. She freshened up a bit making sure she didn't look too horrid.

As she opened the door she saw that Snape's state hadn't improved very much. He was finally dressed but his clothes were rumpled and his face looked paler than usual, and quite drawn.

"Ready?" She asked politely.

He nodded and began to walk toward the door.

"I want to apologize for all the things I said earlier." Snape said as he held the door for Hermione.

"Don't," she replied instantly.

"They were not yours to hear," he countered.

"Who else would you have told?" She asked with an arched eyebrow. "Besides now I know that the next time i run into that guard that I'lll be hexing him to within an inch of his life."

Snape was about to tell her not to bother; but he saw the bright fires of true rage burning in her eyes. He was struck speechless he'd only seen that kind of anger directed at him not burning for him.

They made it in time to grab some food before dinner ended.

Both ate in silence each of their minds occupied by thoughts of the other.