When Severus had finished, Harry simply stared at him, naked hatred written across his face. Abruptly, he turned and strode to Hermione's bedside, Ron hurrying behind him. Dumbledore watched them go, "Give them time, Severus. They'll come around."
"Albus," Snape said coldly, "I have never cared what those two thought of me. I am hardly going to start now." He sighed, ""I know how you feel about Obliviation, Albus, but I think in this case it might be justified."
Dumbledore started to protest, but Snape said quietly, "At least offer it . . ." Sensing that it would not be the best thing to argue, Albus nodded and moved to Hermione's side. She was lying on her back on the bed, her hollow-eyed gaze fixed on the ceiling. At Dumbledore's gentle touch on her shoulder, she looked at him, "Has Professor Snape told you what happened?"
"He has, my dear, "Dumbledore said gently, "and I must ask you, would you like for me to Obliviate you?"
She focused on him and said without hesitation, "No, I want to remember. Everything."
Dumbledore nodded and stepped back as Poppy came forward. The medi-witch handed Hermione a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion, "Here you go, dear. You'll need your sleep tonight." Hermione took the vial and drank the potion gratefully. No sooner had she handed the empty vial back to Poppy than she sank back onto the pillows, asleep.
Poppy turned to Snape, her voice stern and her expression determined, "Now, Severus, to deal with you."
"The last thing I need right now is you clucking over me like a mother hen, Poppy."
"I won't take no for an answer, Severus. Cruciatus, Imperio, and the trauma of the evening to boot? You're staying here tonight."
Severus simply crossed his arms and prepared to wait her out. Before she could continue her argument, Severus noticed Harry glaring at him. "What is it, Potter?" he snapped irritably.
"You promised to protect her." Harry's voice was a quiet, furious growl. His fists clenched until the knuckles whitened.
"I was unaware I had failed in that regard."
"You call that protecting?" Harry snarled, gesturing at Hermione's small form on the bed.
"What would you have had me do, Potter?" Snape asked, coldly, "Leave her to the tender mercies of a crowd of lecherous Death Eaters?"
"How do we know you didn't?" Harry's voice was low, but it provoked a shocked gasp from Poppy and a warning "Harry . . ." from Dumbledore. He ignored them and railed on, "How do we know you aren't lying? How do we know you didn't just let them have their way with her? How do we know you didn't rape her yourself without Imperio?"
He had advanced until he was nearly nose to nose with Snape. Dumbledore, seeking to avert a catastrophic confrontation, started, "Harry, that is . . ."
Snape interrupted, his dark eyes burning with fury, "I do not need to justify myself to you, Potter . . ."
"Oh yes you do. You promised to protect her and not only did you not protect her from the Death Eaters, you didn't even protect her from yourself!"
"That, Harry, is quite enough!" Dumbledore broke in, "I suggest you remember that you are addressing a Hogwarts teacher. Now, I think it is time for both you and Mr. Weasley to return to Gryffindor tower."
Harry looked mutinous, but he acquiesced, leaving the Infirmary with Ron in tow. Snape watched them go, wanting to feel the usual slow burn of anger that always came after any confrontation with Potter. Instead, all he felt was aching emptiness and a bone-deep tiredness.
Poppy tried to start examining him again, but he simply shook his head and walked away. He could hear her calling after him to come back, but he paid her no heed. Leaving the ward, he started down the hall, booted footsteps echoing hollowly.
Suddenly realizing he was still wearing the Death Eater robes and holding the mask, he ripped the robes from his body as if they were on fire. Breathing hard, he closed his eyes and regained his equilibrium. Methodically, he shrank the hateful costume and dropped it into his pocket.
A sudden prickle of the hair on the back of his neck told him he was being watched and he turned to see Albus. He gave the Headmaster a silent, curt nod, and walked on, Dumbledore falling into step beside him. They walked in silence for a moment before Albus said reproachfully, "You should have let her examine you."
"Why? So I can hear again what I've heard a hundred times before? Hearing it one more time won't make any difference." His voice assumed a pedantic tone, "Nerves are starting to fail to regenerate, each successive bout of Cruciatus cripples me a little more . . ." he shook his head sharply, "As I said, hearing it one more time won't make any difference."
"Severus, I . . ."
"Albus," he said warningly, knowing what the older man was going to say, "don't."
"I cannot help but feel responsible for you, and now Miss Granger as well. I was the one who set you on this path . . ."
"And, as I've said before," Severus said impatiently, "no one set me on this path but myself. I made my choice long ago and it was not your doing. All you did was give me my only option besides Azkaban. We could go over it all another time if you really want to, but right now I am too tired for maudlin self-analysis and hindsight."
"As you wish, Severus," Albus said, mouth quirking a bit, "I'll let you get down to your dungeons then." He turned to go, but Snape's next, half-whispered words caught him back, "What kind of monster am I?"
When he turned back, Snape was already gone.
__________
Hermione woke to the sound of voices. Sitting up and blinking blearily, she saw Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey talking at the foot of her bed. Noticing that she was awake, Poppy immediately bustled over. "How are you feeling, dear?"
"All right, I suppose," Hermione said, stifling a yawn, "How long was I asleep?"
"It's six o'clock in the evening. You've been asleep since you got back last night." Dumbledore said, sitting down in the chair beside the bed.
"But what about . . ."
"Your teachers have been informed that you are ill. They will not be expecting you in class for several days."
"Oh." Hermione looked down, pleating the edge of the sheet nervously. Anticipating her next question, Dumbledore said, "You may stay here for as long as you may choose, but I must caution you that going back to your regular routine might be better done sooner rather than later."
Hermione nodded and said quietly, "Of course, Professor. Thank you."
Albus gave her a paternal smile and stood, "I'll leave you to your rest then." He and Pomfrey left, and Hermione let out a tense sigh. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
It had taken more willpower than she'd known she possessed to stop herself from bursting into tears upon waking and remembering what had happened. Now that she was alone and the silence pressed in like a thick blanket, she couldn't fight back the tears anymore. Burying her face in her crossed arms, she sobbed.
__________
Hermione struggled, held firm in an invisible grip. Looming dark figures with silver faces flitted in and out of her field of vision, jeering and taunting obscenely, their voices as indistinct as their forms. Hissing laughter filled the smoky air.
One of the flitting shadows loomed suddenly in front of her, silver features reflecting her own terrified face, and Hermione shut her eyes, knowing what was coming next. The sudden, tearing pain ripped through her and Hermione tried to scream, producing only a whimper.
A sudden howl of agony pierced the air and Hermione's eyes snapped open. She turned her head and saw Snape writhing on the floor in the grips of Cruciatus. She fought against the invisible grip holding her immobile, desperate to reach him, frantic to do anything to stop that terrible, keening wail.
Snape gave a final scream and Hermione jerked awake, the Potions Master's anguished cry becoming her own. Strong hands still gripped her and she fought blindly, lashing out desperately. Harry's worried voice cut through her confusion, "Hermione, stop!"
She froze, and as her vision cleared, she saw that it was Ron that held her arms pinned to her sides, stopping her from lashing out. Harry stood at the foot of her bed, white-faced. She sagged and put a hand to her face, "I-I'm all right, Ron."
He let go reluctantly and moved around in front of her. "Was it a nightmare?"
She nodded, a sudden hitch in her throat from remembered terror stopping her from saying anything. She cleared her throat and asked, "What time is it?"
"About seven," Harry said, "We came here right after supper. We were only here a couple minutes before we had to wake you from the nightmare." An uncomfortable silence fell. Harry was the first to break it. "Why did you do it, Mione?" he asked quietly, his green eyes shadowed.
"Because it was the right thing to do."
"The right thing is to let yourself be taken advantage of?" he scoffed, "Forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical."
Her hackles rose, "I didn't let myself be taken advantage of! I couldn't let Professor Snape die."
"Oh, you did it for Snape?" he sneered, "How sweet. Who gives a damn whether he lives or dies?"
"Harry, he's important to the Order and you know it!"
"You just wanted to be fucked by that son of a bitch!"
His words hit her with the force of a blow, and tears prickled at the backs of her eyes. Harry immediately turned back to her, his eyes wide and panicked, "Oh God, Mione. I didn't . . ." Ron was staring at him in horror, his mouth wide open in shock.
Feeling oddly calm in spite of the hysteria threatening to claw its way out of her throat, Hermione whispered, "Please leave, Harry."
"But . . ."
"Please."
His expression turned stormy and he spun on his heel and left. Recovering from his shock, Ron said apologetically, "I'll talk to him." He laid a friendly hand on Hermione's shoulder and said, "I'm glad you're all right, Mione."
Hermione managed a small, false smile for him, and he left. The click of the closing door was followed by silence, which was broken a moment later by the sound of her sobs.
__________
AN: For those of you wondering why Ron has been so quiet in the confrontations, I wanted to go ahead and establish how angry Harry is, so Ron faded into the background for the time being. Never fear though, he will share his opinion of the whole thing. Also, apologies for the semi-choppiness of this chapter. I wanted to get everyone situated properly for the next chapters.
