Chapter 3
Hermione was shocked. She hadn't known the man was capable of being kind to a Gryffindor, especially an insufferable know-it-all like Colin Creevy. She could imagine the look that Colin must have had on his face when he left; it was probably quite similar to the one she was wearing. And of course he would be thrilled by the thought of brewing all those complex potions on his own, she certainly would have been. In an odd way she and Colin were very similar. Both had been born to Muggle parents and, in an attempt to make a smooth transition to this new world, they had both memorized as many facts as possible, giving them their know-it-all reputation. She was startled out of her thoughts by a warm hand enveloping hers.
"Did that potions help?" Severus had taken a seat beside her and peered anxiously at her features, looking for any sign of residual pain.
Hermione nodded, slowly, to keep from reactivating the ache, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. She wanted to ask him what had compelled him to take on someone like Colin Creevy as a summer assistant, but she knew as soon as she started speaking there would be questions. Questions she wasn't ready to answer yet. They would want to know what had happened, what had caused her blindness. She quickly forced her mind towards neutral thoughts before memories could consume her.
Severus watched as a myriad of emotions flickered across her face, pain, anger, sorrow and frustration were only a few. "Here take this," he said softly, bringing a vial of sleeping potion to her lips. She needed her rest if she was ever going to get well, and he needed to be able to tear himself from her side. "It will help you relax, you need your rest."
Hermione swallowed the sleeping draught obediently and was fast asleep within minutes.
~*~
Hermione stood between her two best friends, wand at the ready, waiting, she could hear the tell-tale pops of people aparating not far from where they stood. A thick fog made it hard to see more than a few feet in any direction, and only served to add to the tension on the field. She caught a glimpse of green light to her left, the battle had begun.
A tall man in black robes and a face mask seemed to materialize directly in front of them and for a few moments she, Harry and Ron fought side by side. The man flung a few curses, but it was three against one and he was neutralized quickly. Hermione took the fallen man's wand and pocketed it as they had been instructed to do with the enemy if they got a chance. The death eaters would be much easier to deal with if they were weaponless, and there would be no danger of a man presumed dead regaining consciousness and catching someone off guard. Ron and Harry had disappeared into the mist and for a brief moment she felt utterly alone, it was terrifying.
A jet of red light flew past her, missing her head by mere inches, she sent a stunning hex in the direction it had come from. All around her people were fighting; she could see the light from their wands flashing through the mist. Clutching her wand tightly, Hermione moved stealthily across the field. She saw a flash of red hair ahead of her and hurried to assist, hoping it was Ron. She needed to find Harry.
It wasn't Ron. Hermione tossed out a stunning spell, startling the Death Eater who Ginny was dueling with and sending him tumbling to the ground. Ginny smiled her gratitude, and without speaking a word they continued across the field, dodging curses and wounding Death Eaters as they went.
The students and Teacher's in Dumbledore's Army were at a severe disadvantage in the battle, as the Death Eaters were shooting to kill. All around her Hermione could see flashes of green light that she attributed to Avada Kedavra. She took slow deep breaths and prayed that Harry and Ron were not on the receiving end of that curse. She was beginning to despair about ever finding them when she tripped across a body and fell face first onto the ground, rolling for a few meters before she stopped.
Her fall had caught the attention of a pair of Death Eaters and she had to dodge several Cruciatus'. She had lost her wand in the fall and was now on her own in the middle of a battle, without a weapon.
She continued to dodge curses as she ran across the ground she had rolled on, looking for her wand, for any wand. She found a wand, nothing like hers, but still very familiar, and shot a few stunning spells at the men chasing her. One hit. One didn't. Another curse whizzed past her ear and she dropped to the ground for a moment, hoping the man pursuing her would think she was dead.
Another curse soared over her, the brilliant green light it formed lighting up her surroundings. She spotted her wand a few centimeters out of reach, sitting in the grass beside the body she had tripped over. Bile rose in her throat. The boy who lay there had the wide eyes stare attributed to Avada Kedavra, his gray eyes were blank, his face stunned. His arm was bent at an impossible angle, and blood was flowing from his nose, moth, ears and his open eyes. His delicate platinum blonde hair was spotted with blood. Hermione fought down a gag as she starred at Draco Malfoy's stiff, dead body.
A flash of red light to Hermione's left snapped her out of her stupor and she picked up her wand from where it lay. The mist lifted for a brief instant and Hermione had a clear view of her attacker. She dodged a stunning spell and shot one of her own in the black robbed figure's direction and allowed herself a tiny satisfied smile when he crumpled to the ground. The spare wand she had picked up earlier in the fight slid easily into her pocket as she jogged across the field.
She noticed a red haired figure fighting not far from her and sprinted in his direction firing curses at the men attacking him. She was certain it was Ron, no one else was that tall, at least no one with that shade of hair. Just as she was throwing a particularly nasty leg-locking curse Hermione's foot hit a rut. Her wand slipped to one side and she let out a cry of horror as she hit the ground. She quickly regained her feet and looked to where Ron had been fighting, just in time to see him fall.
"NO!" Hermione's brain screamed as her friends body tumbled to the ground in a cloud of purple smoke. Tears burned at the back of her eyelids as she darted towards him, forgetting the possible consequences of her actions for a moment. The sound of a misdirected spell whizzing past her ear brought the present back to mind for a long enough time that Hermione was able to stun one of them and reach Ron's side unscathed.
There was a distinct bluish tinge to Ron's usually rosy skin and his lips had taken on a definite purple hue. There was a gaping wound in his chest through which mahogany blood was flowing at an astonishing rate. Hermione gagged and could no longer contain her tears. She collapsed on the muddy ground next to him and allowed sobs to wrack her body.
The first spell hit her without warning, scorching her left hand and causing her to cry out in pain. A second spell sent her flying several meters in the air. She landed spread eagle in the dirt unable to catch her breath. The third spell rendered her incapable of movement as a small circle of robed figures closed in around her. She tried to scream, but a quick 'Silencio' made that impossible.
The tallest of the group bent over her a dangerous looking knife in his hand and an iniquitous gleam in his bright blue eyes. If she hadn't been so terrified she might have wondered at why they were taking the time to torture her when there was a battle going on, but fear had numbed her brain far past the point of logic. The man fingered the knife blade seductively as he knelt in front of her, her breathing quickened and she struggled against the constraints that held her to the ground. The knife slid easily through the first layer of her school robes. A shiver ran through her body and her mouth opened in a silent whimper.
A terrified scream ripped loose from her throat as the other Death Eaters joined the first forming a circle around her on the ground. Each had his wand out and pointed at her. The smallest sent a curse at her arm, shattering several bones; another scream shattered the air as Hermione writhed in pain. A second death eater healed her arm quickly and then sent her into convulsions with an application of Cruciatus. A third curse hit her long before the second was over and soon she was in so much pain she couldn't think.
Scream after scream wrenched from her body as the death eaters played with her, their newest toy. Tears were falling rapidly from her tightly clenched eyes. Her body was coated in her own blood and that of the victims around her as the death eaters continued to curse and heal her. She pleaded desperately for them to stop. "Please," she screamed, "Just let me die."
A final curse hit her head with astonishing power that threw her back several feet, with a whimper Hermione slipped from consciousness.
~*~
Severus hadn't returned to his work station when Hermione had slipped off to sleep, preferring to sit and watch her rest while getting some rest of his own. After several minutes passed his eyelids grew heavy and he settled back in his chair for a brief nap, knowing any movement from the direction of the chaise would wake him. He slipped from consciousness and was out for fifteen blissful minutes before Hermione's stirring brought him abruptly from his rest. His black eyes focused intently on her face as her mouth opened in a terrified scream. Her tiny frame was thrashing and fighting unseen assailants. A whimper escaped her lips; bring Severus swiftly to her side. She screamed again, writhing in what appeared to be agony. He reached out and tentatively touched her shoulder. "Hermione," he said as gently as possible, "Hermione, wake up."
Her eyelids stayed resolutely shut as she screamed again, this time forming words, "Please no! Just let me die!"
Severus shook her shoulders, "Hermione! Wake up!" he said each word forcefully and loudly, trying in vain to shake her from her troubled slumber. Her voice sounded so terrified and hopeless he wasn't sure he could take it if she cried out again. He shook her with more fervor and finally her eyes opened the fear evident in them wrenching his heart in a way he hadn't thought possible.
Tears coursed their way down her cheeks. Unexpectedly she threw her arms around Severus' neck and buried her face in his robes. Sobs coursed through her body in waves. Somewhat awkwardly Severus ran a comforting hand up and down her back. He was at a loss as to what to do; he wasn't exactly used to comforting hysterical young women. In fact he wasn't used to caring about anyone enough to want to comfort them. He murmured sweet-nothings to her as he had seen mothers do to calm their frazzled youngsters.
Her sobbing slowed and then subsided completely, but her hold on Severus only tightened. With a resolved sigh he continued to rub her back comfortingly hoping she would soon regain her senses and realize that it was her greasy ex-potions master she was clinging to for dear life and resolutely shutting down the still small voice that told him he liked it.
Hermione buried her face deeply into her former professor's chest, silent tears running down her face. The dream had been so very vivid. She had felt the foggy air rushing against her skin, smelt the putrid stench of rotting corpses, and known the very real fear of a near death experience. The memory of Ron's oxygen deprived face as he lay dead in the grass brought on a fresh wave of sadness, just as strong or possibly even stronger than the one she had felt on the day of the battle. The blackness that was surrounding her now was haunted by that memory. She couldn't remove the sight from her eyes because there were no other images to put in its place.
She drew a long breath in through her nose; holding on to Severus' scent and using it to draw up other memories, memories of her classroom days, but each of those memories brought a sense of loss with it. Ron was dead, and Harry. well she wasn't sure, but she supposed he was dead as well. She let out an angry sigh and pulled away from Snape's warmth, throwing herself dejectedly back onto her pillows. She was mid-way through allowing her depression to take over when she heard footsteps in the hall outside the room.
Severus too heard the feet falling on the stone floor and quickly resumed his seat in the chair where he had been reading. If Hermione noticed his quick movements she gave no notice of it. Her eyes were staring blankly at the wall opposite her, and her face was set in a delicate expression of a sadness he wasn't sure he would ever be able to comprehend. He no longer dreaded telling her about Ron's death or Harry's repeated attempts at suicide, he could tell by her face she already knew.
A knock sounded lightly at the door and, with one final look at Hermione, Severus rose to answer. Colin Creevy stood in the corridor, his hands holding a tray of vials. "I've finished the cooling gel for Madame Pomfrey sir, shall I take it up to her, or would you like to test them first."
Severus reached out and plucked a vial from the tray with long agile fingers. He turned the container slowly, examining its content with an expert eye. It looked perfect, but Severus wasn't about to let the Gryffindor know that, at least not without a proper testing. He uncorked the glass tube and dipped a finger into the clear blue gel. Instantly he felt the pleasant tingling sensation of a properly brewed gel and allowed a slight nod of acceptance as he re-corked the bottle. "It appears to work adequately," he said slowly, "You may take that tray up to the Infirmary. Make certain the labeling is both correct and legible."
With that comment he replaced the vial to the tray and turned back into the room, leaving Colin standing alone in the corridor once again. "Th- thank you sir," Colin stammered at his professor's back. He received no response but wasn't surprised. He shut the door and scuttled away.
Severus walked slowly back to his post by Hermione's side. He wanted to question her about her dream, and shake her until she replied, but that was not within his power. She was far too fragile and precious to be treated that way. She would talk when she was ready. He allowed himself a brief smile; she was so much like him in that respect, troubled by horrors that he now knew could be lessened by sharing the burden, but unwilling to give even a fraction of the pain to someone else. It had taken him more than six years to begin to deal with the nightmares that haunted his sleeping and waking hours. For six years he had had to see the horrors he had experienced every time he closed his eyes. He hadn't slept those days, not really, he would take a pepper-up potion every few hours to keep anyone from noticing, and when the exhaustion became too much he would drink a large bottle of dreamless sleep potion and allow his body a few precious hours of peace.
Today he was no longer constantly haunted by the horrors of his past, but the burden to make up for past wrongs was still heavy, which was probably why he was sitting there, watching over a girl he had tormented for seven years. He rose and snatched a vial of dreamless sleep potion off of his desk, "Here," he said, keeping his voice neutral through great effort, "take some of this, it will help you get some real rest."
Hermione took hold of the flask that he pressed into her hand and threw it on the floor. She was not going to sleep ever again; she had decided this almost as soon as she had awakened from the last nightmare. She would not allow the demons who lay behind her eyelids take her without a fight.
______________________________
A/N: thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last two chapters. little-lost-one, donkeycabbages, Taya, Aegina, Kia Sara, Anarane Anwamane, Madame Slytherin, ShodanHalo, Genevieve Jones, Lauren, Snapecharmer, RosesandGod, MedNar, and Write-on3108 - thank you for the positive comments, makes writing feel worth it :D Rouge Mage; interesting suggestion. I'll keep it in mind. Ginnyrules890; sorry no Talking Hermione in this chapter, but Severus was secretly pleased. so I sort of took your suggestion. jade ; eventually Hermione will want that kind of information, but for now she has enough to deal with Meriadoc / Celithrathien; I'll try to explain more about the war eventually.. but it will come in flashbacks or dreams mostly. I hope you liked this chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!! :D
Hermione was shocked. She hadn't known the man was capable of being kind to a Gryffindor, especially an insufferable know-it-all like Colin Creevy. She could imagine the look that Colin must have had on his face when he left; it was probably quite similar to the one she was wearing. And of course he would be thrilled by the thought of brewing all those complex potions on his own, she certainly would have been. In an odd way she and Colin were very similar. Both had been born to Muggle parents and, in an attempt to make a smooth transition to this new world, they had both memorized as many facts as possible, giving them their know-it-all reputation. She was startled out of her thoughts by a warm hand enveloping hers.
"Did that potions help?" Severus had taken a seat beside her and peered anxiously at her features, looking for any sign of residual pain.
Hermione nodded, slowly, to keep from reactivating the ache, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. She wanted to ask him what had compelled him to take on someone like Colin Creevy as a summer assistant, but she knew as soon as she started speaking there would be questions. Questions she wasn't ready to answer yet. They would want to know what had happened, what had caused her blindness. She quickly forced her mind towards neutral thoughts before memories could consume her.
Severus watched as a myriad of emotions flickered across her face, pain, anger, sorrow and frustration were only a few. "Here take this," he said softly, bringing a vial of sleeping potion to her lips. She needed her rest if she was ever going to get well, and he needed to be able to tear himself from her side. "It will help you relax, you need your rest."
Hermione swallowed the sleeping draught obediently and was fast asleep within minutes.
~*~
Hermione stood between her two best friends, wand at the ready, waiting, she could hear the tell-tale pops of people aparating not far from where they stood. A thick fog made it hard to see more than a few feet in any direction, and only served to add to the tension on the field. She caught a glimpse of green light to her left, the battle had begun.
A tall man in black robes and a face mask seemed to materialize directly in front of them and for a few moments she, Harry and Ron fought side by side. The man flung a few curses, but it was three against one and he was neutralized quickly. Hermione took the fallen man's wand and pocketed it as they had been instructed to do with the enemy if they got a chance. The death eaters would be much easier to deal with if they were weaponless, and there would be no danger of a man presumed dead regaining consciousness and catching someone off guard. Ron and Harry had disappeared into the mist and for a brief moment she felt utterly alone, it was terrifying.
A jet of red light flew past her, missing her head by mere inches, she sent a stunning hex in the direction it had come from. All around her people were fighting; she could see the light from their wands flashing through the mist. Clutching her wand tightly, Hermione moved stealthily across the field. She saw a flash of red hair ahead of her and hurried to assist, hoping it was Ron. She needed to find Harry.
It wasn't Ron. Hermione tossed out a stunning spell, startling the Death Eater who Ginny was dueling with and sending him tumbling to the ground. Ginny smiled her gratitude, and without speaking a word they continued across the field, dodging curses and wounding Death Eaters as they went.
The students and Teacher's in Dumbledore's Army were at a severe disadvantage in the battle, as the Death Eaters were shooting to kill. All around her Hermione could see flashes of green light that she attributed to Avada Kedavra. She took slow deep breaths and prayed that Harry and Ron were not on the receiving end of that curse. She was beginning to despair about ever finding them when she tripped across a body and fell face first onto the ground, rolling for a few meters before she stopped.
Her fall had caught the attention of a pair of Death Eaters and she had to dodge several Cruciatus'. She had lost her wand in the fall and was now on her own in the middle of a battle, without a weapon.
She continued to dodge curses as she ran across the ground she had rolled on, looking for her wand, for any wand. She found a wand, nothing like hers, but still very familiar, and shot a few stunning spells at the men chasing her. One hit. One didn't. Another curse whizzed past her ear and she dropped to the ground for a moment, hoping the man pursuing her would think she was dead.
Another curse soared over her, the brilliant green light it formed lighting up her surroundings. She spotted her wand a few centimeters out of reach, sitting in the grass beside the body she had tripped over. Bile rose in her throat. The boy who lay there had the wide eyes stare attributed to Avada Kedavra, his gray eyes were blank, his face stunned. His arm was bent at an impossible angle, and blood was flowing from his nose, moth, ears and his open eyes. His delicate platinum blonde hair was spotted with blood. Hermione fought down a gag as she starred at Draco Malfoy's stiff, dead body.
A flash of red light to Hermione's left snapped her out of her stupor and she picked up her wand from where it lay. The mist lifted for a brief instant and Hermione had a clear view of her attacker. She dodged a stunning spell and shot one of her own in the black robbed figure's direction and allowed herself a tiny satisfied smile when he crumpled to the ground. The spare wand she had picked up earlier in the fight slid easily into her pocket as she jogged across the field.
She noticed a red haired figure fighting not far from her and sprinted in his direction firing curses at the men attacking him. She was certain it was Ron, no one else was that tall, at least no one with that shade of hair. Just as she was throwing a particularly nasty leg-locking curse Hermione's foot hit a rut. Her wand slipped to one side and she let out a cry of horror as she hit the ground. She quickly regained her feet and looked to where Ron had been fighting, just in time to see him fall.
"NO!" Hermione's brain screamed as her friends body tumbled to the ground in a cloud of purple smoke. Tears burned at the back of her eyelids as she darted towards him, forgetting the possible consequences of her actions for a moment. The sound of a misdirected spell whizzing past her ear brought the present back to mind for a long enough time that Hermione was able to stun one of them and reach Ron's side unscathed.
There was a distinct bluish tinge to Ron's usually rosy skin and his lips had taken on a definite purple hue. There was a gaping wound in his chest through which mahogany blood was flowing at an astonishing rate. Hermione gagged and could no longer contain her tears. She collapsed on the muddy ground next to him and allowed sobs to wrack her body.
The first spell hit her without warning, scorching her left hand and causing her to cry out in pain. A second spell sent her flying several meters in the air. She landed spread eagle in the dirt unable to catch her breath. The third spell rendered her incapable of movement as a small circle of robed figures closed in around her. She tried to scream, but a quick 'Silencio' made that impossible.
The tallest of the group bent over her a dangerous looking knife in his hand and an iniquitous gleam in his bright blue eyes. If she hadn't been so terrified she might have wondered at why they were taking the time to torture her when there was a battle going on, but fear had numbed her brain far past the point of logic. The man fingered the knife blade seductively as he knelt in front of her, her breathing quickened and she struggled against the constraints that held her to the ground. The knife slid easily through the first layer of her school robes. A shiver ran through her body and her mouth opened in a silent whimper.
A terrified scream ripped loose from her throat as the other Death Eaters joined the first forming a circle around her on the ground. Each had his wand out and pointed at her. The smallest sent a curse at her arm, shattering several bones; another scream shattered the air as Hermione writhed in pain. A second death eater healed her arm quickly and then sent her into convulsions with an application of Cruciatus. A third curse hit her long before the second was over and soon she was in so much pain she couldn't think.
Scream after scream wrenched from her body as the death eaters played with her, their newest toy. Tears were falling rapidly from her tightly clenched eyes. Her body was coated in her own blood and that of the victims around her as the death eaters continued to curse and heal her. She pleaded desperately for them to stop. "Please," she screamed, "Just let me die."
A final curse hit her head with astonishing power that threw her back several feet, with a whimper Hermione slipped from consciousness.
~*~
Severus hadn't returned to his work station when Hermione had slipped off to sleep, preferring to sit and watch her rest while getting some rest of his own. After several minutes passed his eyelids grew heavy and he settled back in his chair for a brief nap, knowing any movement from the direction of the chaise would wake him. He slipped from consciousness and was out for fifteen blissful minutes before Hermione's stirring brought him abruptly from his rest. His black eyes focused intently on her face as her mouth opened in a terrified scream. Her tiny frame was thrashing and fighting unseen assailants. A whimper escaped her lips; bring Severus swiftly to her side. She screamed again, writhing in what appeared to be agony. He reached out and tentatively touched her shoulder. "Hermione," he said as gently as possible, "Hermione, wake up."
Her eyelids stayed resolutely shut as she screamed again, this time forming words, "Please no! Just let me die!"
Severus shook her shoulders, "Hermione! Wake up!" he said each word forcefully and loudly, trying in vain to shake her from her troubled slumber. Her voice sounded so terrified and hopeless he wasn't sure he could take it if she cried out again. He shook her with more fervor and finally her eyes opened the fear evident in them wrenching his heart in a way he hadn't thought possible.
Tears coursed their way down her cheeks. Unexpectedly she threw her arms around Severus' neck and buried her face in his robes. Sobs coursed through her body in waves. Somewhat awkwardly Severus ran a comforting hand up and down her back. He was at a loss as to what to do; he wasn't exactly used to comforting hysterical young women. In fact he wasn't used to caring about anyone enough to want to comfort them. He murmured sweet-nothings to her as he had seen mothers do to calm their frazzled youngsters.
Her sobbing slowed and then subsided completely, but her hold on Severus only tightened. With a resolved sigh he continued to rub her back comfortingly hoping she would soon regain her senses and realize that it was her greasy ex-potions master she was clinging to for dear life and resolutely shutting down the still small voice that told him he liked it.
Hermione buried her face deeply into her former professor's chest, silent tears running down her face. The dream had been so very vivid. She had felt the foggy air rushing against her skin, smelt the putrid stench of rotting corpses, and known the very real fear of a near death experience. The memory of Ron's oxygen deprived face as he lay dead in the grass brought on a fresh wave of sadness, just as strong or possibly even stronger than the one she had felt on the day of the battle. The blackness that was surrounding her now was haunted by that memory. She couldn't remove the sight from her eyes because there were no other images to put in its place.
She drew a long breath in through her nose; holding on to Severus' scent and using it to draw up other memories, memories of her classroom days, but each of those memories brought a sense of loss with it. Ron was dead, and Harry. well she wasn't sure, but she supposed he was dead as well. She let out an angry sigh and pulled away from Snape's warmth, throwing herself dejectedly back onto her pillows. She was mid-way through allowing her depression to take over when she heard footsteps in the hall outside the room.
Severus too heard the feet falling on the stone floor and quickly resumed his seat in the chair where he had been reading. If Hermione noticed his quick movements she gave no notice of it. Her eyes were staring blankly at the wall opposite her, and her face was set in a delicate expression of a sadness he wasn't sure he would ever be able to comprehend. He no longer dreaded telling her about Ron's death or Harry's repeated attempts at suicide, he could tell by her face she already knew.
A knock sounded lightly at the door and, with one final look at Hermione, Severus rose to answer. Colin Creevy stood in the corridor, his hands holding a tray of vials. "I've finished the cooling gel for Madame Pomfrey sir, shall I take it up to her, or would you like to test them first."
Severus reached out and plucked a vial from the tray with long agile fingers. He turned the container slowly, examining its content with an expert eye. It looked perfect, but Severus wasn't about to let the Gryffindor know that, at least not without a proper testing. He uncorked the glass tube and dipped a finger into the clear blue gel. Instantly he felt the pleasant tingling sensation of a properly brewed gel and allowed a slight nod of acceptance as he re-corked the bottle. "It appears to work adequately," he said slowly, "You may take that tray up to the Infirmary. Make certain the labeling is both correct and legible."
With that comment he replaced the vial to the tray and turned back into the room, leaving Colin standing alone in the corridor once again. "Th- thank you sir," Colin stammered at his professor's back. He received no response but wasn't surprised. He shut the door and scuttled away.
Severus walked slowly back to his post by Hermione's side. He wanted to question her about her dream, and shake her until she replied, but that was not within his power. She was far too fragile and precious to be treated that way. She would talk when she was ready. He allowed himself a brief smile; she was so much like him in that respect, troubled by horrors that he now knew could be lessened by sharing the burden, but unwilling to give even a fraction of the pain to someone else. It had taken him more than six years to begin to deal with the nightmares that haunted his sleeping and waking hours. For six years he had had to see the horrors he had experienced every time he closed his eyes. He hadn't slept those days, not really, he would take a pepper-up potion every few hours to keep anyone from noticing, and when the exhaustion became too much he would drink a large bottle of dreamless sleep potion and allow his body a few precious hours of peace.
Today he was no longer constantly haunted by the horrors of his past, but the burden to make up for past wrongs was still heavy, which was probably why he was sitting there, watching over a girl he had tormented for seven years. He rose and snatched a vial of dreamless sleep potion off of his desk, "Here," he said, keeping his voice neutral through great effort, "take some of this, it will help you get some real rest."
Hermione took hold of the flask that he pressed into her hand and threw it on the floor. She was not going to sleep ever again; she had decided this almost as soon as she had awakened from the last nightmare. She would not allow the demons who lay behind her eyelids take her without a fight.
______________________________
A/N: thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last two chapters. little-lost-one, donkeycabbages, Taya, Aegina, Kia Sara, Anarane Anwamane, Madame Slytherin, ShodanHalo, Genevieve Jones, Lauren, Snapecharmer, RosesandGod, MedNar, and Write-on3108 - thank you for the positive comments, makes writing feel worth it :D Rouge Mage; interesting suggestion. I'll keep it in mind. Ginnyrules890; sorry no Talking Hermione in this chapter, but Severus was secretly pleased. so I sort of took your suggestion. jade ; eventually Hermione will want that kind of information, but for now she has enough to deal with Meriadoc / Celithrathien; I'll try to explain more about the war eventually.. but it will come in flashbacks or dreams mostly. I hope you liked this chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!! :D