Watching silently from the belltower as she trudged her way down to Hogsmeade arm in arm with Pansy. Two friends without a single care in the world, excited to put a little happiness in their otherwise dreary lives. He hoped they enjoyed it whilst they could because things were changing. The world, once for the better, was getting closer to its demise. To be taken over by Wizarding kind and oppressing the Muggles.

There would be men, women, and children alike forced into slavery without a second thought, and those who did not comply would be met with death and likely not a peaceful one at that. Torture and rape would be right up there in the repertoire of tricks, and frankly, he didn't want to be part of such a world.

There would be mass murders, for fun, of course. Ridding the world of the old and the sick and those who were useless to Voldemort until few remained to serve him as he sat on his throne high above them all.

Voldemort, growing in power as the days moved on, there was little anyone could do to stop him. Except for Potter, of course. And it was well-known Potter wasn't quite the most dependable person you could have the joy of knowing.

He sighed sadly and turned away. Who knew that the entire race and its future would ride on the shoulders of Harry Potter and Harry Potter alone.

Imagine having such responsibility and power in your hands and acting like a total tool at every twist and turn. The world as they knew it would surely be a prime candidate for change and change for the worst, with Potter as its only savior.

He exhaled sharply through his nose as he descended the stairs, taking two at a time. He hoped, for the very moment at least, that Hermione was happy because he didn't know how long it would be until he could no longer protect her and the world she lived in.

o-o-o-o-o

"Severus," Alecto purred as she bounced up onto his desk, crossing her ankles, and eyed him off apprehensively.

Merlin's nut-sack. What did she want?

"Alecto." He nodded, not even looking up from the letter he was reading in his hand. He'd had enough of this conversation and all she had done was greet him.

"What's the deal with you and the Mudblood?" She studied her nails, bored.

He lowered the letter and took a deep, steadying breath. Severus knew where this was going, and it was somewhere he didn't want to go. He didn't even wish to scrape past this subject, let alone touch on it.

"Who's asking? Death Eater Alecto who wishes to scamper off like the filthy rat that she is to spill forth everyone secrets to the Dark Lord, or, the Alecto who wants to know for her own morbid curiosity?"

"The second one," She purred.

"Nothing is or has ever happened between us, despite you thinking otherwise. And if something has or will happen in the future, it is none of your business," he stated firmly, trying to brush her off and give her the hint he didn't want her here.

"Bit young for you, anyway, isn't she?" The woman questioned. Sliding off the desk silently, she scurried around to where he was sitting and jumped into his lap like a house cat.

He stiffened under her awkwardly. "Only around the same age you were when you sunk your claws into me, begging me to fuck you like the cheap slut you are." He snorted derisively.

"You don't want to go down that path again for old times' sake?" She whispered, running a single finger along his hollowed cheek and down his pointed chin.

"I assumed your brother was taking care of you in that department." He grabbed her hand and pushed it forcefully away.

"The incest jokes are getting old, Severus." She brushed a lock of hair behind her own ear.

"Wouldn't be the first time someone in your lineage has fucked their brother. May as well keep it in the family." He quirked a brow at her, watching as she sneered at him violently.

"So was that a yes or a no to old times' sake?"

"It's no. If I wanted to fuck a slippery serpent, I'd borrow Nagini, now off you fuck."

"Rude," She harrumphed, getting back up she smoothed her hands over her shirt to hide the fact she taken aback and upset.

"I'd have to bathe my cock in sanitizer for a week if I slid it inside of you. Merlin knows where you have been of late."

She left his office without another word, tears pricking at her eyes and a lump in her throat. She had never been so hurt in her life.

o-o-o-o-o

Waiting outside the Slytherin common room early one Sunday morning, it was usual for her to meet Pansy there and the two would go off to the library for the day to finish assignments. Their friendship was in a good place considering their differences, and the other Slytherins rarely made life difficult for her. She assumed that if Pansy was hanging out with her; they saw she was hardly a threat, and that was true. It also helped by not being around Harry, and that eliminated a huge target off of her back. But she could feel tensions rising throughout the Slytherin population and she knew it was because of Voldemort and his influence on their parents that influenced them. She figured though, as long as she stayed on the right side of Pansy, then she should hopefully stay on the right side of the rest of the Slytherins until something momentous happened, then she may have to make herself scarce.

The hallway was eerily quiet this morning; she noted. Not a single soul in sight, which was unusual. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and goosebumps erupted from her skin as she shivered against the cool breeze that whipped past her out of nowhere and vanished just as quickly.

She almost felt as if someone were watching her and her stomach turned itself into knots, gnawing at her psyche that she should not be here. Sunday mornings were always bustling down here. Something was off. Something wasn't right at all.

"Ready to go?" Pansy's voice echoed off the walls and down the quiet hall, pulling Hermione from her thoughts and making her feel a little better now there was another person here.

She rubbed her forearms feverishly, trying to banish the goosebumps that now adorned her skin. "More than ready," She whispered, shuddering again, looking side to side as if hoping to glimpse someone hiding somewhere in a shadow.

Pansy began rummaging in her pockets as if looking for something. "Wait. I have something for you, but I forgot to grab it. Wait here," she instructed, motioning two open palms at the other girl to stay where she was standing.

"P-Wa-." She sighed. "Never mind."

She shuddered again. Her mouth going dry and her palms sweating heavily. That uneasy feeling swept over her again, and she bit her lower lip nervously. Eyes darting back to where Pansy had vanished from view every few seconds as if it would make her appear. It didn't.

Tapping her foot gently on the stone floor as an outlet for her nervous energy, it seemed Pansy was taking an eternity to fetch whatever she went back to get.

Suddenly, a flash of yellow light caught her eye, whirling around to see what it was. Stabbing pain in her left leg dropped her to her knees faster than she could process what was happening.

Tears filled her eyes as white-hot pain seared down her leg as she tried to stagger back to her feet, simultaneously attempting to grab her wand from her back pocket. Before she even grasped the polished wood another flash of light hit her in the abdomen, causing her to stagger a few steps forward, falling onto the stone floor, winded.

She shivered harshly, gasping for air as she tried to turn herself over onto her stomach so she could get to her feet. Placing flat palms on the ground, she shakily attempted to push herself up off the harsh stone floor. Everything was so silent; she could hear the blood rushing around her body.

Shakily, she dragged one knee forward and then the next. Quivering under her own body weight on all fours, she tried to force herself to stand as another flash of light caught her eye, and this time, her shoulder burned with the intensity of a thousand suns.

Collapsing back onto the floor on her stomach, hands clamped beneath her, it was now she realized she was bleeding out heavily at an alarming rate. Unable to move and unable to scream, it felt as if a metal band had wound around her chest and was forcing all the air from her lungs as they burned with every forced breath she tried to inhale.

"Hermione!" The shrill scream of Pansy was the last thing she heard before taking one last shallow breath, and everything slowly went dark and silent.

o-o-o-o-o

"Severus!" Minerva burst into his office without even a second thought or a knock of her knuckles on the door. Skin flushed red with light perspiration on her brow, it was clear she had moved with haste.

He looked up from the parchment he was holding in his hand and lowered it lazily, folding his arms tight across his chest. This would be good. What could she possibly want him for now?

"Severus. You need to come quick," the elder witch panted, trying to catch her breath. "Come quick. Someone has attacked a student!"

He waved a hand airily in the air without worry or concern. "Deal with it, Minerva, and I will deal with it later. I've more to do today than time allows."

Maybe it was the urgency of her voice that he had now registered or the fact it was clear she had run here, which was no mean feat for a witch her age but it now registered in his head this may be a little more urgent than he first realized.

"Severus. It's Hermione. There's blood everywhere. Poppy cannot stop it. It's a curse and a very dark one at that. Please. Severus, please help her," her voice full of sincerity he could tell she was desperate for his help.

He didn't even need to be asked a second time. Getting to his feet, the two moved with haste to the infirmary.

o-o-o-o-o

"Severus. Please!" Poppy admonished as Severus skidded to her side, worry etched into every line of her face.

The woman covered up to her elbows in blood, trying in vain to stem the bleeding, reduced to applying pressure in an attempt to stop it; the last resort.

"It's won't stop, Severus. She's bleeding out. Magic is doing nothing to counteract." The Medi-witch's voice strained and laced with sadness. Tears of desperation marring the woman's face as hands working feverishly between wounds to apply pressure.

Clothes soaked as if she had been bathing in a pool of blood. He looked at her critically. Breathing shallow and skin pale, he knew that if he didn't help her now, there would be no coming back. She was knocking on heaven's door and it wouldn't be long until she stepped over the threshold.

Fingers grasped soaked clothes with haste, he tore her shirt open with an unknown force he summoned from within and pushed the offending material aside.

Quickly he ran palms over her stomach and shoulder, inspecting the wounds critically. Of course, Severus knew exactly what this was, and whose curse had found her flesh.

"I've seen this before," he muttered to whoever was listening. Minerva hovering over the three of them anxiously.

"Can you fix it?" Poppy barked. The blood covering her made her look as if she were coming back from the slaughter.

"It's a dark curse." He looked pointed at her. "It's actually an adaptation of one of my own, only darker, more sinister, and cuts deeper. The person who used this knew exactly what they were doing, only it appears they were going for the aortic artery in the neck and missed. My guess is Hermione tried to get back up after they knocked her down with a cut to her leg. They wanted her dead, and they wanted her to bleed out before anyone could find her." He sucked in a much-needed breath.

"So, who was it?" Minerva whispered, looking around to ensure no one was around to hear their conversation.

"Alecto Carrow," he bit venomously. Her name like poison on his tongue. And to think he at one stage stuck his cock in that filthy troglodyte.

"And why would she have need or cause to slaughter Miss Granger?" Deep Scottish brogue asked inquisitively.

"Be lucky she's a dodgy shot, or Hermione would be dead by now. We could argue many a reason. To get at me would probably be one cause, but jealousy, of course. Alecto and I used to… have a very physical relationship for a few months at one stage there, and she wanted to take it over that realm and into one of a deeper connection… in short, she fell in love with me. Unrequited, of course." He sighed forlornly before continuing his story.

"I taught her the spell one day. One summer at Malfoy Manor, she followed me relentlessly. A bottle of Fire Whiskey and a counter-top later everything changed, and we spent the next few weeks together almost inseparable. Of course, she meant nothing to me, and I meant the world to her, apparently. She used to look at me with adornment and doe-eyes, and I got sucked into teaching her out of pity. It makes sense she would use an adaptation of my spell to send a giant middle finger to me via the girl who put a bitter taste in her mouth. She assumes, or I think she does, that Hermione and I have something going on, but we don't."

Minerva and Poppy looked pointed at one another when he said that as if communicating with only their eyes.

Blood-stained hands whipped into his back pocket and pulled out his wand.

"Vulnera Sanentur." Wand tip pressing lightly to the biggest wound, her abdomen.

"Vulnera Sanentur. Ne sis mori,te amo," he muttered again, voice strangled as his heart ached. He could not bear to lose her.

A soft silver light akin to a small, thin thread slowly waterfall'd from the end of his wand, snaking to the bottom of the wound and back up again, repeatedly almost as if an invisible person was sewing by hand before the silver, shimmery binds pulled tight, and with it, closing the large wound. The edges of the wound glowing brightly before the light burned out, leaving a wound with fresh pink scar tissue.

"She needs blood, Severus. A blood replenishment potion won't work," Poppy tutted as she opened the girl's left eye, her eyeball lolling backward. Cold to the touch, she was whiter than the sheet on the bed. The other two wounds could wait-they were not life-threatening.

He didn't even need to be told again. Rolling his sleeve up, he offered Poppy his bare arm, watching her with curiosity in his eyes. He wondered if she had ever done something like this- a blood transfusion- given it was more Muggle practice rather than their normality.

She nodded her head once, going off to fetch what she needed and arriving back within seconds.

"Will this work?" Minerva asked, concerned.

"It does for the Muggles, usually." Poppy smiled meekly at the other woman. She had no idea if this would work. Hope for the best, expect the worst was the motto she was going to be flying by right as of now.

Poppy gently grabbed Severus's arm and looked in the crook of his elbow critically, angling it several times until she found the perfect vein to use.

"It will sting," she warned.

"I've had worse things done to me than a tiny pinprick in my arm." He barked, watching the small needle slide into his vein, and winced slightly as the stinging in his arm intensified for a minute.

The other end of the tube with the needle slid easily into the girl's arm and the crimson blood flowed freely from his body into her own.

Poppy dragged a seat from across the room and motioned for him to sit. "You will be a little light-headed soon," she advised. "I'm not much good at Muggle medical procedures, but I know enough to get us by. She wouldn't survive a trip to St. Mungo's."

He nodded curtly and planted himself firmly in the chair, watching the girl's chest rise and fall softly it was about at this moment, with her life hanging precariously in the balance, that he realized how much he cared for her. You never realized how much you cared for another until their life was hanging delicately in a balance between living and dying, and then you truly knew what they meant to you.

He exhaled sharply out of his nose. How time changes everything. He used to loathe Hermione Granger beyond measure and would attempt to be rid of her at every twist and turn, and yet here he was now willingly sacrificing his own lifeblood to ensure she didn't pass.

The girl's hand once lying on her hip fell gently to her side, white fingers twitching softly in the dim light of the hospital wing, giving him hope that perhaps after all of this she would be fine.

Taking her hand in his own, he could feel the start temperature difference between her skin and his own. Ice met fire and her hand quivered beneath his. She inhaled sharply through her nose and out again quickly.

Poppy came bustling back over on a mission. "I think that's enough blood, we don't want to bleed you out too, Severus."

He only nodded and grunted, not wanting to engage in conversation and feeling somewhat lightheaded, he lazily offered his arm for the needle to be pulled out. Rolling down his sleeve once it was removed, he watched the medi-witch remove the needle from Hermione's arm.

Grasping the girl's wrist, she felt for her pulse. "That is promising. Her pulse is a lot stronger than it was before. I'll give her another few hours to rest before I check on her again."

Nodding again, still cradling her hand in his own, he closed his eyes just to rest them; he told himself. Vowing he wouldn't fall asleep. He wanted to be awake in case something happened. He wanted to be there when she woke up.

It was obvious he couldn't keep her safe by pushing her at arm's length, so he may as well have a little happiness in his life and bring her closer. Either way, it seemed they were after her regardless, and if she were closer, they would have trouble getting to her. He snorted. That was the exact logic he originally used before pushing her away for her own safety.

He sighed sadly to himself. Damned if he did and damned if he didn't. He wished Potter would hastily bring this whole thing to a close because he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep living like this, with his whole life up in the air not knowing what side he would end up on when it all came to a head.

He thought back to the conversation he had not all that long ago with Alecto, and he knew that sparked this backlash. She was a jealous cow who was obviously trying to rid the world of one Hermione Granger so she could swiftly step back into his life and carry on as if nothing had happened.

She was delusional if she thought he would ever want her in his life. She was just ways and means to pass the time as an easy fuck and worth little more to him than a hunk of meat. He never saw her for the person she was, or the person she could've been. Seeing her only for the ability to lay her body down and give him the release he was so desperate for. Basically, he used her as an easy fuck and little else. In his eyes, she was disposable and didn't care about her feelings. He couldn't wait to cross paths with her again because this time, he was coming for her.

A/N: Hi, guys. I trust you all had a great Christmas! Well… given the current circumstances with Covid, anyway. It's been hard on everyone, I am sure.

Fingers crossed 2021 brings us all a better year, and hopefully more updates and the end to this story. I've been so slack about updating and I am sorry.

-Aliasmel1