Clearly, the insufferable madwoman had made her mind up. Every single part of what she was suggesting went against his solitary nature and deep loathing for this kind of crass self-examination, which he supposed was part of the reason it sounded so dangerously alluring. Damn this craziness that Albus had entwined him into. He knew she wouldn't give it up, so he probably shouldn't fight it. He owed her, whether or not he cared to admit it out loud.

Over the cup of tea, she cracked the ice further. "I won't just be able to sit across the room and do this, either. We'll have to be touching. I know how you despise being touched, but you won't have to fend me off, not to worry. I think simply touching hands will suffice, though that's rather untested." Her easy manner about this galled him.

"I can't let you touch me."

"Don't worry Severus. I don't bite, which is more than I can say for Lupin, Black, or Harry." That was quite deliberate; she knew he'd bristle.

His next words surprised both of them.

"I will try. But it's been six years since I've been really touched by anyone, other than Poppy Pomfrey in her medical ministrations, and the occasional touch on the shoulder by Albus. Wand curses all the bloody time in my line of work, certainly, but no physical contact. It might take some…getting used to."

"Why do you deny yourself the simple pleasure of another's touch, Severus?" Damn Albus and his mercy missions, she groaned inwardly.

"I do not deserve it." His honest answer touched her in a place where nothing had touched her in years. He dealt with all this differently than her, to be sure, but the sentiments were the same. We don't deserve pleasure, only pain.

"Let's get started so perhaps we can leech some of this poison out of you. I've heard enough." She felt that dangerous caring for him resurfacing after so much time, and thought about squashing it like one of Aragog's children. But perhaps it would be of use here. Still, she worried very slightly, upon seeing the look in his eye of genuine fear, that perhaps Severus Snape wasn't quite as strong as Lupin was the day before, and she had probably better be the tough one for both of them.

"As long as your poison goes, so I can get back to my life as a bat. I am doing this for you, because I owe you, and nothing more." She decided not to answer that, if that was the way he wanted to play it.

She set down her tea, and gently took his from his trembling hands. "No time like the present. One more thing, however. We must share a drop of the same blood for this to work."

She neglected to mention THIS? "You vex me, Hermione. What next?" Shaking her head to shush him, she drew a tiny dagger from inside her earring, and pricked her thumb. "Your turn." He held out his hand and allowed her to prick his thumb, and she pressed her thumb against his for a minute, reminding herself of the blood sisters of her Muggle childhood. Then she took both his hands in hers. She could feel him stiffen, and nearly break away, but she held firm.

He heard a voice, as clearly as if she had spoken out loud.

Do you give me permission to speak to you this way?

He found a ready answer that surprised him with the ease in which it could be given. He immediately understood Albus's recommendation on the matter, even if he still cringed at the intimacy of the act. I grant you entrance to my thoughts, as directed towards you; and do you grant me the same?

Yes, Severus. No need to be so formal.

This is very interesting. I don't believe there has been a telepath in the wizarding world other than Albus and yourself in decades.

Too true. As I'm sure Lupin told you when he sprang down the stairs ahead of me yesterday, I explored the events surrounding my kidnapping to Malfoy Manor with him from the time of my unfortunate, untimely rejection of Ron Weasely in the Astronomy Tower to the time that you discovered my disappearance and left to join Lucius at his estate for surveillance. Let me give you a short replay of what Remus and I discussed. She let him hear the conversation from the day before, somewhat condensed, and of course edited out the part where she propositioned the poor werewolf. Are you with me now?

In spirit and mind, and against my will, in body.

At least his sense of humor was holding up. Here we go…

Malfoy had believed the spell that he cast to make me unconscious would last the night, so he didn't know I had been alone with my fears all night. Things really couldn't have worked out any better for Lucius. I had worked myself into a terror, not of my death, but of the thought of Malfoy's goons manhandling me in the sure gang-rape that was to come. Death would have seemed a welcome blessing, as I was always a pretty private person and certainly had never been intimate with anyone; the fear I had at physical violation was incredibly strong. That vaunted Gryffindor courage had flown out the window. I wish in retrospect that I had been able to control fear as I've learned to in Auror training, because Malfoy twisted my heightened emotions into something quite perverse that I've never been able to reconcile.

Hermione. If I hear you blame yourself for any of this, I will be forced to take house points. She knew he was serious behind the teasing words, but it didn't matter. He had to know how she felt.

Be that as it may, I did blame myself for being stupid and even blamed myself for not letting Ron take my virginity that night, just so this monster wouldn't have the pleasure. Morning came and I was face to face with Lucius Malfoy.

"Darling girl. Welcome to my humble home. I trust you had a restful night? Good, good…I just have one little charm to perform before your breakfast." Naturally, he performed the charm to determine whether I was unspoiled…this was such a bonus for him, to have one of Dumbledore's good girls all to himself. "I see you and Mr. Potter…or is it Mr. Weasley, little whore that you are…haven't gotten to the deed yet. So much the better. I am in an excellent position to teach you the ways of love. And you will love me, Mudblood, so much that you'll die for it when I am done." I couldn't speak; I looked away, and he knew I was afraid. First mistake on my part.

The sick thing was, I was bound and immobile and my traitorous brain told me that I could do worse. Goyle, or Crabbe, or for heaven's sake, Draco. Lucius was an attractive evil bastard. I couldn't believe how sick that was…that I was actually considering my captor in that way. Fear. Nice way to get a woman.

This was about the time you realized what might have happened. Care to take over?

He swallowed audibly, closed his eyes, and tightened his grip almost imperceptibly on her hands.

Naturally I suspected Lucius, since Goyle was involved. Other Death Eaters might have been snooping for information, but Lucius was really at the right hand of the Dark Lord at the time. And Lucius was really the only Death Eater audacious enough to keep an innocent rather than torture you a while and send you back quickly as a warning. I knew all too well of Lucius' depraved sense of lust, especially for young boys and girls, though he'd never captured a witch right out from under Dumbledore's nose that I knew about. Normally Lucius had young Muggles that I didn't know chained in the dungeon. Not that I felt any better for them, and had often found ways to kill them surreptitiously so they would not be further tortured before their inevitable death. Don't be shocked, Hermione, I have most definitely killed; I am sad to say they weren't all mercy killings, but I have always figured that death would be preferable to these children than some of the things I knew Lucius to be capable of.

My arrival at the Malfoy estate was no great surprise; Lucius was expecting me. "Yes, Severus, we have your missing Gryffindor. It's truly delightful, and you don't need to worry about her under my careful ministrations. What we do need to worry about is warning that fool Dumbledore off the trail till I can deliver her body back to his door."

"She is here now, then?" I tried not to appear overly interested.

"Yes, indeed. My son tells me how much you despise the girl."

"Sniveling bratty know-it-all, best friend of Potter."

"I think my idiot son fancies her."

"I find that doubtful, she's certainly no prize." Good thing Malfoy was all twisted up with gleeful depravity right at the moment, or he might have seen through my façade.

"Actually Severus, I find her rather attractive, in a Mudblood sort of way. She's a little old for me, of course, but rather innocent. I think I'll keep her a while. What do you think the old fool will do?"

"He doesn't suspect you, of course; they are searching the forest, Hogsmeade, that kind of thing."

"I intend to take her innocence, and twist her well…we may have a Gryffindor Death Eater yet, eh? She's very bright, is she not?"

"I suspect it might be more to your ends to kill her, so that she can never use that intelligence for the other side."

"Ah, perhaps, perhaps indeed." I was playing the good game, but underneath I would have done anything to ensure your safe out of the castle. Suddenly, I had a bit of inspiration. I might not be able to save you from all of Lucius's whims, but I might be able to get you out alive with careful subterfuge. I had a tiny portkey on a chain in my robes that I always kept with me in case of disaster. Dumbledore had insisted that I keep it and use it if necessary, though I never had any intention of doing so. If I had, it would have created suspicion…really, if I was in the throes of Cruciatus and suddenly disappeared, it's not like it would go unnoticed. I could use this to get you out, if I could only find a way to get you alone. I'd send you back and come up with some rot about you wresting my wand away and stunning me and then escaping. Lucius had never had a witch who could actually use a wand in the dungeon, so while it was a thin story it was the best I could come up with on short notice.

"I know this seems rather unlike me, but I have a request."

Surprise dawned on Lucius's face, then an evil smile. Is there any other kind of smile in the Malfoy world? "You fancy having a go, then?"

"I do. She has caused me untold headache in my attempts to keep Dumbledore off balance. I'd like to repay the favor before you're done with her."

"That is quite unlike you. Though, of course, you've never been interested in the faceless victim. This is more…immediate for you, and an opportunity you've been ill afforded. Well, I can certainly see how loyal you are these days, something I would have never thought would happen, but Draco gives me a good report. I have a proposal…"

Leave it to Malfoy to have a depraved idea or two up his sleeve.

"As long as I get her innocence, you will get the leftovers. I'll grant you a taste of that girl, but I get to possess her first."

This was not what I was hoping for.

"Can I see her? Perhaps…perhaps I can get her to let her guard down some. Let her believe I will save her or some such rot. That will hurt her all the more, then, when I don't save her." I was grasping at straws.

"I will take you down there. This should be good."

"Lucius, she'll hardly believe I'm her savior if you're there watching." This wasn't going well at all.

"I concede the point; I'll stay out of sight then. But I think I want to watch this game unfold."

I had no choice but to continue the charade now, but I knew I had lost this battle. I came down the stairs and knew you thought you had been saved. I couldn't have felt more bleak. I came to you and murmured that I would try to save your life, and believe me, it wasn't a lie. But my hopes for a peaceful ending were slipping away.

I was faced with a dilemma. If I did anything to save you under Lucius' nose, I would be found out and likely targeted for death, and of course I could never be useful to the Light again in my capacity as double agent. But allowing my enemy to take you, and having to stand by while it happened…I was unable to think clearly about how to proceed.

Lucius was impatient with me, because you certainly still looked upset instead of believing your teacher had come to free you. He leapt out of the shadows. "A word, Severus."

"She senses your presence, fool…she is a highly capable witch. Either leave us alone, or I believe I will take my leave of you until the morrow."

"I won't leave you alone, but I have a better idea. I think I'd like to watch you seduce her."

"In your dungeon? Are you mad? I hardly think I can make her want me in your chamber of horrors. I'm her least favorite person to start with."

"I taught you the techniques, old friend." That much is true, sad to say. Before I came over to the other side, I was often the unwilling slave of Lucius myself. He fancied me for a while, though I can't fathom why. I wasn't allowed to question. It was penance for my bad choices in getting involved. "You could make her want you, and then I'll break her by denying you to her. This should be interesting."

Hermione pulled away from his touch. What a sick bastard Malfoy was. Hatred coursed through her veins.

Snape spoke out loud. "I've disgusted you more than you can voice, eh?"

"Malfoy," she spat. "We were bloody well both raped by the monster. How can you look at his face?"

"Practice, and constant hatred, and the need to win this war."

"I…" Suddenly needing air, she fled out the door.

Severus sat, staring miserably into the flames and curiously missing her warm touch. Would she come back to finish? He was ill, yet oddly compelled.