Hermione laid on Severus' chest for a long time as the others gathered outside, not even having spared a thought to Harry and Ron yet. Merlin only knew what McGonogall had told them, but all that could wait until they had faced the larger danger. He had been reluctant to elaborate on what happened, but eventually she was able to coax more details out of him than before since they were alone for the moment. Even though he said he didn't regret defending her honor, she knew he was remorseful about any slip in his position as a spy. So much rested on his shoulders as it was.
She was not so naive as to think he had not had to kill before, perhaps even wanted to before Lily Potter's death. Power was a seductive thing after all, and to finally gain that after the childhood he lived… It wasn't right, but she understood it. Since then though he had been able to distance himself from the worst of it, having to watch most of the time but not having to participate. If Doholov had had his eye on Snape for awhile, of course he would want to try and goad him into a fight. Or maybe it had just been a passing comment, which was even more disturbing because that meant he was still thinking about her after their confrontation at the Ministry of Magic.
Severus never explained exactly how he'd been able to wriggle out of a tight situation, but she didn't press for those details. Whatever he had to say, their relationship was safe so far from the Dark Lord's wrath. The curse on his shoulder would serve as a reminder of that, though she winced every time he had to stop his explanation to bite the pillow.
Whenever she tried to bring it up, he simply shook his head and assured that he had faced worse pain in his life. There was no way to undo it, and he would have to suffer until the next time he was summoned. It wasn't searing pain all the time, but a bundle of magic that writhed under his skin similarly to the Dark Mark itself. He hated having even more of his master's magic inside of him, but the only way to let it out would be through blood and he didn't dare make it seem like he wasn't grateful.
The idea that he had to be grateful to anyone other than her now made him sneer, but that wasn't the worst of his worries. While Voldemort believed it to just be a scuffle between the two, as were wont to happen among all the Death Eaters when emotions were high, he was worried his rival would consider the attack more… personal. He didn't want Hermione to leave the castle alone, and told her so, knowing that there would be no stopping her following after the other two idiots. If he could have it his way, she would be put somewhere else out of reach completely, but the Headmaster would never allow her to be that far from Potter.
It was surprising enough that he had allowed them this much time alone. But when Poppy came back to release him - there wasn't much she could do about a curse except feed him the pain potions he brewed himself - he knew that he couldn't keep her for the night. Not yet. Hermione was reluctant to leave his side but promised to come in and check on him after curfew when she could get away. Especially knowing he was in pain even Dumbledore himself wouldn't keep her away from his bed.
The older man's irritation was something she turned over and over in her head as she went back to Gryffindor Tower. Of course she knew that Severus' position as a spy was important, more so than most people realized. But did that anger fume across the room every time he stepped out of line. Was he going to be doubly punished because he allowed himself to have emotions in the presence of the enemy? It hardly seemed fair, but nothing about War was in particular. For now her biggest worry was going to be how she would explain her departure to her friends.
It had been impossible to find out exactly what the Professor told them, the woman not being anywhere near the infirmary when she left. And considering her disapproval when the two first walked in on them, Hermione certainly wasn't going to go seek her out. Cautiously stepping back into the common room she tried to spot the boys before they saw her, bracing herself for the impact as they both raced over. "What's going on? McGonogall wouldn't tell us anything!" Harry grabbed her hands to make sure she was alright. "Pomfrey either." Ron chimed in, going for her hand and shooting his friend an irritated look for hogging her attention.
She bit her lip, trying to figure out how much of the truth to weave in. "It was the Headmaster, he said he would send for me with news about my parents, and I guess I panicked a little bit." It was painful to lie to them, but one mention of Snape's name and they would be all up in arms in a matter of moments. "Everything's fine, they're fine." She assured them, starting back over towards where Ginny was sitting with one of her Quidditch periodicals.
"You didn't go to Dumbledore, did you?" The girl muttered when she sat down beside her, Harry and Ron settling back into their chess match with relief. Immediately she stiffened, trying not to but it was just on instinct - her blood didn't turn cold until Ginny continued under her breath. "I'll bet you a ticket to watch the Holyhead Harpies that something happened to Snape... I saw you at Christmas." Gods, she'd forgotten how to breathe. Trying not to let her vision blur in panic she snatched her friend's wrist and hauled her up, starting towards the stairs to her room. Another excuse could be piled on top of the rest of them, but at least there was no fight against being dragged up there.
Closing, locking, and warding the door Hermione spun on her and crossed her arms, matching Ginny's defensive position. Before she could even get a word out the redhead shook her head incredulously. "How could you? I mean… What are you thinking?!" Closing her eyes to gather strength she pointed to the bed.
"...Let's start at the beginning, shall we?"