Author's Note: I am boosting the rating to R here, for the nudity. I don't describe as much of Hermione's physical condition as I originally did, to keep from offending anyone. Let me know what you think. Next chapter is the big one. Hang in there, all my readers, and enjy the ride.

She was slumped on the bathroom floor, blood dripping onto the flagstones. Her hair was crumpled over her face, but by the rise and fall of her chest, he could tell she was alive. A flush burned his cheek as he gently rolled her over, checking her for further injury. The skin clung to her ribs, her petite figure so degraded from the curse she suffered. He turned the shower off, and smoothed the hair out of her face. He knew it was wrong to move her when she was injured, but he didn't really want to be standing over her naked form when she came back.

Picking her up and wrapping a towel around her head to catch the blood, he staggered to his bed, ignoring the way her limp body pressed against him, soaking his robes. He placed her under a quilt. In his bathroom cabinet, he grabbed a revival draught and towels.

"Miss Granger." He placed the vial to her lips, and tilted her head back. He waited tensely, his heart pounding. Pressing the wet towel to her head, he waited, applying pressure. It took a minute, but he needed that minute to calm his nerves. He braced himself for her reaction.

"What happened?" She asked shakily. He replaced the towel, not meeting her eyes.

"It appears you fell in the shower. I found you an hour later."

She closed her eyes, humiliated. Oh god. This hadn't happened.

"Considering there is hardly anything to hold you up, I don't doubt why you fell. Miss Granger, you cannot hide your physical state from Madame Pomphrey or me. Do you want to die?" He asked angrily. It was his job to keep her safe and healthy. It wasn't right of her to let herself get like this. Only yesterday she'd been a happy, energetic girl. A girl like Lily.

Tears escaped her eyes. "It isn't fair! Seeing them, and they don't even know where I am or anything... how do you expect me to live this way?" he didn't know how to answer that one. Maybe you should tell me that. Try living your life with no friends, with no condolence. How does it feel when day after day you wake up to dodge curses in the halls, to be the laughing stock of the class, to know that you have no future. How does it feel when the one you love is forbidden? You tell me, Miss Granger.

"Hold this." He handed her the towel, and went into her room and got a robe from her trunk.

"Here. I'm going to go get Madame Pomphrey."

He waited outside the door to his room, anxious. It had been over an hour since Madame Pomphrey had arrived, in a state of shock. He could hear whispers, but nothing else.

"She'll be alright, after the potion I gave her and rest. She took a nasty gash, and she's very thin. I suggest you train her as well as you can, Severus. She'll need it. She's starting to lose herself."

---

It was awkward, lying in his bed. She looked around at the modest room. There was a lone picture on his fireplace mantel. Lily Potter, or Lily Evans as she had been at the time, set down her camera. "Don't forget me, Severus. I know I won't forget you." Hermione recognized her dorm in the background.

A knock came at the door. "Come in, it's your room after all."

Professor Snape stepped in, not meeting her eye.

"You saved my life."

"I'm sorry." He didn't look up.

That startled her. "So you'd rather have me dead?"

"No. I meant that I'm sorry I let you get like this."

"None of this is your fault." She met his eyes.

"Yes it is."

"You can't blame yourself for what you can't control. You couldn't have possibly known I fell."

"You don't get it, do you? If I hadn't joined the Death Eaters, then I wouldn't have had to betray Lily. The prophecy wouldn't be formed. You wouldn't have run off to the Ministry, and you wouldn't have this curse."

She stared at him. "So instead, you'd rather have Voldemort still at the peak of his terror, and we wouldn't have any hope?"

He stared at her. "I thought the girl would have done something to your demeanor." "We'll meet again, I promise." Is this what Lily meant?

He had to know. "Wait."