Chapter Twenty-Six

'Hermione…'

'Yes, I know your name Hermione,' a male voice taunted.

'I can even see you right now. You look so lovely when you are unconscious little Mudblood. I think we should make sure you look that way a little more often. How does that sound to you?'

Hermione looked around, trying to navigate the source of the voice in the darkness, but she was unable to find anything. Stumbling, she fell to her knees over something and found that she was unable to stand up again. Hands on her shoulders held her in place firmly, even as she struggled with all her might. She tried to twist her head around to look at her captors, but she couldn't see anything but darkness. She was overwhelmed by the fact that she could not see anything. Then a red light cast over her body, and she could see a figure emerging, dressed in heavy black robes with a hood hiding the face of her tormentor.

'What do you want with me?' she asked in a raged voice.

'Well, my little Mudblood – I want you, to get to your darling Severus,' he replied. 'We know that you are the traitor's little whore and we want him to come for you.'

'Severus is not stupid – he won't be fooled,' Hermione spat.

'Oh but that is what we are counting on. He knows that we are using you as bait, and he knows that if he doesn't come for you, death will shortly follow,' he said in a flawlessly smooth voice. 'What he is not anticipating is that we shall be killing you the moment he comes into the house.'

'Why are you doing this? Hasn't everyone suffered enough?' she asked, feeling tears leaking from her eyes.

'Nobody has suffered nearly enough yet,' he hissed, moving right up to her. 'Oh what's this I hear? Severus has arrived? How wonderful.'

Hermione watching as one of his hands went into his robes and came back out wielding a sharp ornate-looking dagger. She watched as if in slow motion as he held it to her throat and pressed a little in warning for what was to come. She closed her eyes as he pressed a little harder and gritted her teeth together, until she heard a door bang open. Her eyes flew open just in time to see the silhouette of a figure in a yellow lit doorway, just as the knife sliced across her throat and she let out a gurgled scream.

…………………………………

Hermione sat up abruptly, a small sound of pain escaping her throat as she did so, heart beating so fast that it hurt, and sweat making her hair stick to her face in places. She looked around with wide eyes, panting and trying to make her eyes adjust to the room that she was in. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that she was in the hospital wing, and it was night time, if the darkness of the room or the moonlight shining in through the window was any indicator. She was grateful for the night, as any brighter light would have been too harsh on her eyes.

That had been ones of the worst dreams of her life.

Closing her eyes, she tried to shake her head to rid herself of the thoughts, but no matter what, she knew it would remain fresh in her mind. It had all seemed so real. Perhaps it had been and she had somehow miraculously survived. She let her eyes dart around the room, until she heard a soft snore. She turned sharply in the direction from which it came and looked over to see Severus asleep in an armchair with a high back that was right beside her bed. His brow was furrowed as if he was thinking of something bad, and his hands were clasped loosely over his chest.

She noted that he was only wearing his black trousers and his white linen shirt, which was unbuttoned at the top, and was slightly wrinkled because he was sleeping in it. She thought that despite the frown, he looked endearing. She shifted about so that she could try and stand up, but found that her legs were weak. It was almost as though she had never recovered from the last time she was hurt. She sighed in exasperation, and then suddenly touched her throat, as though she were feeling for evidence that it had all been a dream.

She felt nothing there.

Thankful, she shifted her weight so that she could brace one arm on the furthest edge of the bed that she could, and she reached out with the other arm to touch Severus on the knee, hoping it would be enough to wake him. She looked up at his face to see if he was reacting, and she saw that his eyes were wide open, not at all drowsy. He stood slowly then, and helped her back to lie against the pillows, sitting on the bed beside her and then crushing her in a hug wordlessly.

'Oh gods,' he choked out emotionally.

'Shhh… Severus I'm okay,' she said a little croakily, wrapping her arms around his neck and stroking his hair gently as his nose nuzzled her neck.

'Hermione I was so, so worried,' he murmured softly against her neck. 'I am sorry that I wasn't there to protect you…'

'Don't be sorry. None of us could have predicted that something like that would happen,' she croaked out, pulling back to flop against the pillows as Severus leaned down into her and continued to cling.

He had never been tempted to cry for a very long time, but now, he felt that all he seemed to want to do is cry. Severus planted kisses on her throat, trailing them across her jaw, before finally landing on her own lips for a soft kiss. He pulled back almost immediately, unwilling to start anything with her in case it worsened her physical state. As much as he wanted to kiss her until he was breathless, he restrained himself. Someone would have to, because he knew Hermione wouldn't be keen about forgoing any intimacy with him for very long.

'We're going to have to start you on the physical therapy again,' he said with a heavy sigh. 'It appears that you have had a relapse, however, I don't believe that it will take nearly as long as last time. Especially now with the improved Potions formula that we created.'

Hermione nodded, realizing that she should have expected it. Her legs felt as weak as they had ever been. Although she didn't mind that she would most likely end up in Severus' chambers for the duration again. This time, however, she was going to ensure that they would be sleeping in the same bed. Last time they had not yet embraced their feelings for each other.

'We sleep in the same bed this time,' she said softly.

He smiled a little at that, stroking her cheek gently. 'Of course you will, my love,' he said. 'I wouldn't have it any other way.'

Hermione smiled at him, coaxing him to join her on the bed, and shifting over so that she could lie in his arms. He obliged, only because of his relief at seeing her awake, and was soon lying against her with his arms wrapped around her. Hermione closed her eyes, but found that she was unable to sleep, instead listening to the sound of Severus' deep, even breathing as he fell back to sleep. Opening her eyes, she wriggled until she was on her back and propped up slightly on the pillows, maintaining the connection with Severus without waking him.

He looked peaceful now as he slept. Now that he knew that she had woken up. He really was the best thing the she could have ever asked for. Sighing, she stroked his hair absently with one hand, as she gazed out the window of the infirmary. She watched as the night started to fade into the light of the morning, and didn't shift again until the suns rays were shining into the room brightly. By then, her eyes had been gradually adjusted to the light, and she had no problem seeing.

A few minutes later, she heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the curtain closing off her bed from the rest of the wing. Soon, the curtain parted to reveal Poppy Pomfrey to her view. She smiled at the matron, who was looking at her in shock for a moment, before she found herself again, and smiled back at Hermione brightly. She was about to speak, when she finally noticed the Potions Master tucked in against Hermione beneath the covers, with his arms wrapped firmly around her, and head pillowed partly on her stomach and partly on the pillows.

Poppy nodded and walked in quietly, handing Hermione a glass of water, and also bringing along all of the Potions for her to take. 'There now, you will be better in no time,' she whispered.

'Thank you for taking care of me,' Hermione whispered back.

After taking the Potions and drinking the water, Poppy went off to the fireplace in her office in order to Floo Albus and Minerva. She tossed in some powder, and stuck her head in, calling for the Headmaster's office. 'Albus are you in there?' she asked excitedly.

'Yes, my dear, I was just going to call in on you,' Albus replied with a small, knowing smile on his lips. 'I take it Hermione has awoken then?'

'How you manage to know these things, I will never understand,' Poppy said with a sigh, removing herself from the fireplace, and standing back to allow Albus to come into the office also. 'Severus fell asleep curled around the dear girl.'

Albus twinkled at that. 'I shall go see her now. Please alert Minerva to the recent developments and ask her here,' he said, walking out of the office and towards the curtained enclosure.

He cleared his throat softly on reaching it. 'May I come through?' he asked in a polite tone of voice.

'Yes, come in Headmaster,' was Hermione's reply.

He parted the curtain and walked through, coming in on the sight that Poppy had describes, which made the twinkle in his eyes even more obvious than it had been before. Hermione saw the twinkle, and would have laughed if she were not so weak of voice. She looked forward to regaining full control of herself again. He sat in the armchair that Severus must have transfigured, and regarded her over his half-moon spectacles with a happy expression.

'I am delighted that you have rejoined us, Miss Granger,' he said cheerfully.

'I am happy to hear you say that,' she replied with a small, grateful smile. 'Thank you for everything you have done. Especially for keeping Severus sane while I was asleep.'

Albus nodded. 'He seemed to be taking everything rather well considering. He had a few bouts of depression, but he managed to pull through when he thought of you,' the old wizard replied.

'How long have I been asleep for?' she asked.

'A little over a week,' he answered. 'Nothing out of the ordinary, I assure you. Your body was trying to recover from a very painful wound. Do you still ache?'

'Not really. It's mostly just that my legs have become weakened again, which I am sure was their intention,' Hermione replied honestly.

Albus looked solemn as she said that, realizing that she was more right than she could have ever been. They were trying to cripple her and slowly kill her. They knew what it was doing to Severus. These Death Eaters were smarter than anyone gave them credit for, and they knew just how to wear down their victims without even touching a hair on their head. Using Hermione this way served their purposes two-fold; they were torturing Severus' already fragile psyche, and they were slowly killing the only thing that stood between them and their revenge on the Potions Master.

'I am afraid, my dear, that you are merely their means to an end,' Albus agreed, looking at the dark-haired man beside Hermione. 'He is more sensitive than anyone would ever know.'

'You are right and wrong, Headmaster,' Hermione said, shaking her head slightly. 'He is gentle and sensitive, yes. But he is the strongest man I have ever known aside from you. These Death Eaters – they are nothing in comparison.'

Albus chuckled and nodded at how perceptive the young woman was. They sat in silence in the room, and after half an hour, Severus began to stir. Hermione touched his cheek gently, swiping her thumbs over his closed eyes gently, before he finally opened them and looked up at her with an obsidian gaze. He smiled a little at her, and she smiled back, before pointing over at the Headmaster in the armchair. Severus sat up then, running a hand through his hair to push it out of his face, and looking at his employer.

'Good morning, Albus,' he greeted, before looking back at Hermione. 'Why did you not wake me earlier?'

'You looked like you needed the sleep,' she said with a sheepish grin. 'Besides, you're awfully handsome when you are asleep,' she teased.

He frowned petulantly at that, and his scowl only deepened when he heard Albus chuckling, and then two female voices join in laughing. Severus was about to get up to leave, but Hermione forestalled him with a gentle hand on his arm, and an imploring expression on her face.

'Don't be silly, Severus,' Hermione admonished lightly. 'We're not laughing at you, silly man.'

'Seemed like it,' he grumbled under his breath.

Hermione ignored his parting comment in favor of looking up at Minerva and Poppy, who had both just arrived and smiling in greeting. 'Hello Professor, it is nice to see you again,' she said sweetly.

'You have no idea how nice it is to see you awake again, Hermione dear,' Minerva replied, walking in over the side where Severus was not, and hugging the girl tightly. 'I was so worried.'

'I think I have heard that one before,' she said with a grin.

Minerva smiled at the girl, relieved that she was awake. She left her side then, and joined Albus and Poppy in a conversation as they left the enclosure, leaving the two lovers alone for a while again. Hermione looked at Severus for a long moment, before threading a hand in his hair and pulling him close for their first real kiss in over a week.

Hermione could almost taste Severus' relief.

A/N - Please leave me a review! I really appreciate the feedback!