Chapter 17: The Skull and the Snake.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca: "Fallaces sunt rerum species" – the appearances of things are deceptive. I just wanted to let you know who said the opening quote for Magic of the Ancients.

(Oooeee - I don't think you guys will thank me much for this chapter - or the next few.)

So far:

Severus and Dumbledore discuss serious matters: the dark circle wants Hermione as a supporter and since she is not skilled in Occlumency the only way to not make Severus a suspect as a spy they decide Hermione should sit out one confusing meeting and then they will be convinced that she is on their side. Once they return to Hogwarts the baffled Hermione is to be enlightened. There are serious flaws in this plan but it is a better option than revealing Severus' alliance or sending Hermione into hiding... or so it seems.

Hermione takes Severus to Hogsmead where she buys him a proud black cat by the name of Decimus later the next day.

A couple of days after that, Severus is expecting the inevitable call which he receives. He apparates to Hermione's new home where he collects her and apparates her away...

When Severus had apparated her away from her apartment with an unreadable expression, Hermione had not anticipated this. The colors had melted away from the lighted entrance of her new home to the darkening sky of a forest. It was a clearing between the trees and the stars in the sky hung melancholy in the changing blue. The trees were all pine and there was an icy edge to the freshness of the air. Beneath her feet was the unmistakable sensation of earth and bracken.

Hermione was standing close to Severus, almost touching and facing one another so at first she did not look around her at her new surroundings. She did notice something odd, however, just from standing before Severus with her wrists in his gentle grip. His clothes had suddenly changed, as they had apparated. She had never seen him before dressed like this. It was a long dark blue (almost black) robe with a large hood pulled up over his head. It shadowed his face and in the dim light she could hardly see the overwhelming regret in his eyes. He had just changed his mind, he wanted to take her back but it was too late now. It was too late.

Hermione could feel a familiarity about his attire but her nagging mind could not place it. The pressure on her wrists from his fine-boned fingers increased a little.

"Severus!" a falsely relieved and surprised voice of a man to her back sounded through the split second silence. Hermione started a little in surprise. She was not thinking properly, just letting things happen. Severus had brought her to this secluded area and there was the voice of another man... "We were wondering whether you would make it!" Severus recognised it as the sardonic tone of Lucius.

She turned around, slipping her wrists free of his grasp. There were sounds of muttering in low voices of other people as she spun round which only increased her confusion. Still keeping close to Severus, she finally laid her eyes on what was behind her.

She let out a quiet gasp of shock and took a step backwards sharply, right into Severus. He caught her by her shoulders tightly as she pressed her back up against him. Normally she would be grateful for the touch but right now his firm grip on her upper arms felt more like he was holding her into place to keep her from escaping. Hermione jerkily lifted her hands to her mouth in a blind reaction to the sight she was totally unprepared for.

The cold air was penetrating her skin through her sweater and she started shivering. She seemed to be attracting the cold. The warmth of Severus behind her gave her the only comfort but she was too stunned at this instant to see that yet.

What had made her gasp and take a step backwards was the sight of hooded cloaked figures wearing identical white masks. They were all looming in the formation of tight large circle. The leering blankness of the masks terrified her and the hooded figure standing opposite her in the center of the circle in an abundance of black thick robes shrouding even his hands and hiding his face from view.

Her eyes flickered widely to her left and right as if to find a gap to escape but the cloaked figures reached right up to either side of her and Severus. Severus... it was as though she had only just remembered he was here. He would make sure she was safe.

She gave the circle that was staring at her one long terrified glance before turning back to Severus. He wasn't masked, to her utmost relief. But when she looked to his eyes for comfort... there was none waiting for her. The thin icy air filled her lungs sharply as her breathing became shallow. The adrenaline was already overflowing in her bloodstream and it made her shake uncontrollably as she pressed herself against him for reassurance.

She buried her face into the unfamiliar robes of his chest and clenched the soft material with urgency. Her hands stopped shaking with the security of the fabric though the feeling of security was short-lived. Severus in turn lifted an arm tenderly and wrapped it around her back, crushing her curls as she breathed his scent through the folds of clothes in shuddering gasps. Severus felt as though his heart was being suffocated. Hermione was petrified, quaking and leaning into him for safety. What had he been thinking to consider her capable of such a task?

The scent of pine filled the sense of every death eater there and the sky was nearing pitch black. The mutterings were increasing between the masked people but nothing actually happened for a long moment as they waited for the form in the center of the circle to do something. Unknown to all, his thin almost non-existent lips had pulled back into a sneering smirk.

"Welcome," a soft hiss escaped the shadow under the hood and Hermione gasped again. "Hermione Granger," he jeered with a hint of laughter in his terrible voice. She tensed sharply at her name and Severus observed her intently with his insides burning from pain at having to watch her suffer. It was the voice of Voldemort. She knew it well and had never had to face him before alone, without Harry at her side. Severus was standing frozen and firm behind her shaky frame.

At the sound of her name being played with by his tongue Hermione twisted her face, keeping it squashed against his chest. She looked out of the corner of her eye to the lord of evil standing calmly several feet away. Her breathing situation worsened so that she was gasping and hardly any air reached her lungs resulting in no oxygen arriving to her muscles and organs to revive them.

She wanted to ask Severus, beg him to explain, what exactly was going on. Why had he brought her here? He had brought her to a Death Eater meeting. What was she to do? Would they kill her? Torture her? She shook harder and Severus' arm around her back gripped her tighter for security. She could not get the words past her lips. They died in her throat and if even they didn't her lips were too heavy to part anyway.

Severus did not say anything because he didn't know what to tell her. The sooner this was over with the better. For all the others knew, Hermione was going to be a supporter and was just too terrified of their powerful presences to think straight. It did more for their ego than Severus liked to think about.

Hermione did not answer to the greeting of the dark lord and watched him fearfully out of frightened brown eyes.

"You are most likely wondering," he continued. Hermione listened carefully, holding back on her shaking and jagged breaths as much as possible. "-why we are honouring you alone with this meeting..."

"Me?" she repeated in a small voice. Was she to understand that this meeting was for her?! Voldemort did not mind being interrupted, surprisingly, because her tone was not disrespectful. Severus' flesh went clammy. Hermione's voice was no more than a stifled squeak from her constricted throat – a result of her fear which was his fault.

"An honour you most probably feel the full weight of," he persisted. Hermione gaped like a fish. What was he talking about? "You are an intelligent girl, Miss Granger. A girl of your mental power has much to offer. You have succeeded with over-excellent grades in every subject and test laid before you..." Hermione's mind was slowing down to an almost halt because she couldn't contemplate what had happened that turned hell upside down and made the most evil man alive start praising her grades.

"What is it that you want?" her voice a choked but reasonable rasp. It carried out into the emptiness of the air and several more mutterings sounded.

"Silence," he hissed and immediately there was. Hermione even tried to stop breathing so there would be silence, like he wished for. He turned back to her and she pushed against Severus harder and he had to use strength to keep them both standing. "It should be obvious, Granger, "what I want"." He gave her a long hard stare from beneath with red coal eyes which Hermione, thankfully, could not see for the hood.

He did not go on to explain what he wanted leaving her to gape against Severus' chest as she considered all the possibilities, each worse than the one before.

"Snape," the voice floating from under the cloak was demanding. Hermione felt him tense up sharply at the sound of his name and she gripped the cloth of his death eater robes tighter. "Bring her forward."

Her head snapped up to look at him with wide eyes. Surely he was not going to bring her closer to the dark lord as he wished? Her breathing went irregular and harsh once more as her heart sped up. There was no expression on his face other than blank obedience. The far off look in his eye made her heart go cold. She did not know that he was putting all his concentration in to keep his thoughts clear so Voldemort could not read them.

He had no choice but to bring Hermione to the center of the circle as he wanted. Hermione was not in control of her own body and she automatically let Severus take her there, trusting in his decisions. Nothing was lighting the way anymore other than the stars and the large moon creating waves of shining glow for them to see by. It lit the tops of the pine forest and the outline of circle of death eaters.

The shadow of Severus leading a weak and shuddering Hermione, clinging to him dearly, to the center of the ring was observed by the still eyes behind masks. As soon as Severus broke the circle the nearest death eaters glided forward silently to close the gap. The ring was once again complete and trapped them in like rodents in a cage. She found that no amount of shuddering gasps could supply her with enough fresh freezing air.

"McNair!" Hermione froze at the contrast between his previous soft hiss and his now sharp yell of a command. The sound of the executioner's name rang through all their ears and after a quiet moment where nothing sounded, Hermione and Severus stopped in front of him. Severus looked up with brief surprise that he immediately masked. McNair specialized in two things: killing and... Severus frowned. Surely not? What else did he specialise in? He could not think.

Hermione watched with her wide brown eyes, her head lifted off of Severus so she could see McNair step away from the ring to their left. He took two quiet steps forward then stopped. The gap was not closed, yet. She studied the unrevealing mask acutely and could for some reason sense that he was smirking. It was not visible, however.

Severus was holding Hermione tightly now. It was unnerving her instead of comforting her. But Severus did not understand what was going on. He did not know this meeting was for her alone, he had though she was merely to attend, be questioned on her knowledge and allowed to leave as a suspected supporter. Whatever he wanted with her up close and needed the assistance of McNair he did not know. But deep inside he did know and did not want to accept it. He wouldn't believe it.

Hermione looked up into his sharp unyielding black eyes under the large navy hood. He looked back with as much encouragement as he could.

"Yes, Master?" McNair called with his greasy sneering voice. Hermione shuddered violently. It was a horrible voice.

"Your skills are required," he told him and Hermione got the distinct impression that McNair should be honoured that he had skills at all from Voldemort's voice. McNair's face was not visible to show his self-pride but his posture definitely improved.

He pattered over to them, feet invisible beneath the hem of his special robes. His back was pompously straight as though he had been given a new reason to live. If Hermione had been able to think right, or at all for that matter, she would have found his dependence on the words of Voldemort to be sickening.

He approached from the left and Hermione eyed him with a flickering, frightened stare. She kept a hold of Severus but no longer rested her head against him, trying to see more of what was going on. It was now she, Severus, McNair and the Dark Lord standing in their own small circle inside the larger one under the star-speckled sky.

Hermione turned back to Severus, looking up at him with confused eyes that looked on the verge of crying. But the shine in them was caused by the moon and not tears. Even so, the sight stabbed at Severus' heart. He could not reveal his regret and reluctance to do as he had done in front of Voldemort so he turned to the only emotion he could show that he actually meant: care.

He leaned down and kissed her temple softly. He knew every eye was on him but did not care. They knew that he and Hermione were together. She leaned into the touch but when he pulled away and straightened, the look in her eyes was the opposite of comforted. She was frowning with confusion and her own heart was being squeezed with an emotion she couldn't place and was entirely new to her.

"How... sweet," he played with the word that was totally unheard of from his tongue. There were collective snickers from around the ring at Voldemort's words and Hermione looked dispirited, any console she had gathered from the small act of love was lost with the jeering of the others. She opened her mouth then closed it like a fish. "A couple I approve of and a good choice in partnership if I ever saw one. Intellect and intellect, sense and sense – I only hope that as a pair your contribution to the circle will increase." Hermione's brain almost halted and her heart stopped beating for a second. Voldemort's approval was the last thing she desired.

Hermione leaned back onto him and Severus inhaled sharply at Voldemort's words. He recovered fast.

"Thank you, master," Severus said respectfully with a light nod of the head which was intended as a bow. The word 'master' came out choked as though it was forced but thanks to his skills in Occlumency Voldemort had no reason to suspect he was anything other than happy with the praise.

Hermione was lost in all this. Severus' thanks for a compliment she did not want only bewildered her further and she would have been certain he did not think of that as sufficient praise.

"Shall we?" Voldemort asked but everyone knew it was a rhetorical question. The silence and fresh air were no longer pervading her senses and Hermione became totally oblivious to her surroundings. "Malfoy!" he snapped from beneath the overlarge black hood. Once again the name of another death eater rang out and echoed off the edge of trees.

Hermione's head twisted round and she saw, from the place she had been standing with Severus, a death eater come forward with a bundle in his arms. She gulped. She was slightly afraid and intimidated by Lucius Malfoy. He strode over to them as though he was worthy of the honour. He stopped in front of them, under the cold gaze of Voldemort from beneath the hood.

Bending to a stoop, Lucius Malfoy held up the bundle of material to Voldemort. Hermione stared at the thing questioningly. Her heart pounded against her ribs and ragged breathing sped up. Whatever the bundle was it was the making of dark magic or for the uses of it. Voldemort in turn accepted the bundle, picking it up with his long-fingered white (dead-looking) hands, not giving Lucius more than a second glance. This did not hurt his pride in the slightest.

Lucius backed away, with his head still bowed low, carefully and silently until he was back in his place of the circle. There was then a short expectant silence.

Voldemort took his sweet time as he proceeded to unwrap the dark blue cloth. His deathly pale fingers delicately peeled each layer of soft material away from the other. The whole circle watched avidly. He chose to speak at the same time as he busied himself with the duty.

"You are aware, Miss Granger," he began, giving her a glance which Hermione could not see for the shadow cast by his hood. "- that there is no such thing as good and evil, just power and those who are willing to seek it?" he questioned her. Severus had to rescue to situation. Hermione should not reveal her alliance.

"And knowledge is power," he added bravely. It could go either way: he could be furious that Severus avoided Hermione's question for her or he would be impartial. Voldemort's red eyes locked onto him and he could sense it. He kept his face passive and emotionless. Hermione felt the horror and anticipation from all other death eaters filling the air and it fed her nervous adrenaline rush. Her muscles weren't shaking as bad now that the hormone had begun to fade. As it raged once more Hermione gripped Severus tighter to keep from crumpling and collapsing to the hard earth.

Severus felt her fingers dig into his robes and in automatic response held her tighter. A mistake... a huge mistake... This decision was a huge mistake and Dumbledore was partly to blame for it as well. Hermione was aware of the sensation of touch of his arm around her back more than she had ever been in her life. Her adrenaline fed senses were on hyper-drive.

"Very good Severus," Voldemort whispered and Severus tried not to but could not help let out the small breath he had been holding. Voldemort was almost done unfolding the cloth that seemed unusually thick and large for the small object within. "Yes. Knowledge is power. That is why you are worthy enough, Granger." Severus held back the frown of confusion. Worthy... of what? Surely he was not speaking of supporting their side alone?

When Voldemort finally held up the large fabric and revealed what it was Severus felt his heart stop. It took all his concentration and will power not to let his eyes widen in shock and to pull Hermione back away from the thing he held. What he held from his long fingers, dangling close to the dead bracken, were long dark blue robes – identical to the ones he now wore.

His mind froze. In his concentration on Occlumency he did not have a spare thought for what he was going to do. Also in Voldemort's hands was a white mask which made Hermione's eyes grow wider than they were and she opened her mouth to obviously attempt to speak but she couldn't. Not a sound could pass her lips.

He was holding out them for Hermione to take but she didn't. She stood rooted to the floor and glued to Severus, gaping at them as though they may bite. Severus once again was called upon to rescue the situation. He reached a slender hand forward and took them for her. She watched in shock as his fingers curled around identical material and Voldemort let go.

Severus took his arm away from Hermione's back and she felt a great deal colder than she already was. Wherever they were it was freezing at night, despite the fact it was summer.

Forcing himself to do what was required of him; he opened the robes and held then in a gentleman manner for Hermione to slip into. Hermione stared at it for a moment then looked up blankly at Severus in a heartbreaking way. He never felt so atrocious in his entire life when he nodded at her in an encouraging motion. She blinked twice in disbelief.

Trusting his judgements too much than was for her own good, she pulled away from his warm body and felt the gooseflesh rise from the iciness. She expressionlessly and robotically slipped her arms into each of the wide dark blue sleeves, keeping her eyes on his and his alone. Once the robes were resting safely on her shoulders he let go. Hermione made no move to do up the front clasp or pull up her hood. She just stood with her open robes, her arms dangling numbly hidden by the large round sleeves, and equally open expression looking up at him.

Severus wished she would stop. She was making it worse than it was. He did what he considered the best thing and bent forward to place another small kiss at her temple before slipping the mask into the large pocket at the side of the robes (he knew Hermione would make no move to wear it if he handed it to her). He didn't realise this only confused her further. Her mix of emotions combined with this annulled any possibility of her thinking straight.

With the robes hanging on her shoulders and the lingering sensation of the kiss at her temple she felt a great deal warmer and the gooseflesh began to sink out of sight. Voldemort was watching, pleased. McNair was standing at the side, digging into his pocket for something. Hermione turned back vacantly and leaned her back against Severus as she looked to the two with unblinking eyes.

Voldemort turned his attentions to McNair who had just seemed to find the tool he needed from his pocket. It was made of metal and had a sharp tip – that was all Hermione noticed.

"Lift up your sleeve," he sneered greasily and Hermione could only look to Severus to see whether he approved and he nodded at her again. She blinked numbly and began to roll up her sleeve to reveal the cold skin of her forearm. Her actions were not her own and she may as well have blacked out for the amount of control she had over them.

Severus sucked in a breath as he finally came to terms with what was about to happen and that he had no power to change it. It was too late. He still could not believe it entirely even when McNair sharply snatched her by the wrist and yanked her arm closer to his eye. Severus hated him for touching her at all – even in such an insignificant way.

"This won't hurt... much..." he snickered. A round a chuckles followed his comment and Hermione stared with wide eyes at Severus the whole while.

Hermione was numb, her flesh heavy clammy and cold. She wanted to vomit. She was going to vomit. In fact, if she didn't vomit she might faint. Her brain was icily jammed and like a broken record. All she could think were the last words she heard "See you next time then." Next time.... Next time? There was going to be a next time?

Severus and she were one of the first to apparate to just outside the winged boars of the gates. She had collapsed to the hard ground of the earth immediately and sat, in the dark of the night, curled up into a shivering ball. She supported herself on the dirt with the palms of her hands but it didn't do much good. The blue sleeves of the robe fell over them and puddled the ground. Her hair hung down on either side of her face, blocking out the world with a shower of brown curls – that she was grateful for.

Her shoulders shook and she had never felt so weak and out of control of her own body. Each shudder created a ripple throughout her as though she was as light as a feather. She didn't know where Severus was and her mind tried to block him out as much as possible. "See you next time then..."

He was crouched down in front of her, silently watching with his observant, sad black eyes. His identical navy robes pooled around him in a threatening circle formation. He would not touch her... he had tried to touch her shoulder comfortingly and she had violently shaken him off and pulled away. He didn't risk repeating it. He just watched her closely to make sure she was alright. Only once he was certain of her being OK would he turn to his own emotions of self-hatred and sickness.

Hermione's urge to vomit was growing so strong that when she did actually vomit it was a relief. She went pale and sallow-skinned before spilling her guts on the earth. There was nothing dramatic and poetic about this situation. It was the raw and pungent stench of human fear and decaying adrenaline. She coughed and hung her head with her eyes closed after relieving some of her painful twisting on the inside.

Severus didn't move away sharply, as instinct advised. He wanted to stroke her hair and hold her to make her calm down. But he just watched, with cold black eyes. "See you next time then..."

Wearing the blue robes with the white mask sticking out of the pocket, she had never felt worse. But all sensation of the earth beneath her palms, the reek of vomit and the softness of the Death Eater robes was lost to the one thing that consumed her every thought and would for nights to come.

Upon her lips was the drying vomit. Her pale cheeks were stinging with lack of blood and crying out against the sharp edge the cold night air brought. With her diluted pupils hidden by her closed lids. Her lashes were suddenly razor sharp and felt as though they were slicing her. The sensation was annulled by the silent tears she was unaware of slipping down her cheeks and soothing in the most minute way.

And on her arm... the fresh stinging from the remnants of pain... pain not of torture but of a more sinister nature. "See you next time then..." There was to be a next time... She would be sure to know of it.

The flesh of her forearm (the only part of her body not heavy with after-fatigue) was burning hot against the cloaking sleeve of her new robes. The whole area around the single spot was a rash red and radiated electric waves of heat. It was all she could think of. Heaven knew it hurt. It hurt more than it actually did because the amount of attention she paid to it was overwhelming. The rest of her skin was cold but not so bad that the gooseflesh rose again.

She seemed to only just remember that she had thrown up and moved backwards away from the puddle sharply. She pushed herself back with the force of her palms and shuffled herself a couple of steps back – away from the stain and away from Severus. He watched intently but did not come closer to close the gap. From between curtains of fine black hair he remained frozen in place – only his eyes moving. He was still avoiding thinking about what had happened. If he did he may as well vomit too. What had taken place was no more part of his plan as falling in love with Hermione was. Yet both had happened.

On her knees, with tears smudged across her cheeks, she was certain that her numbness was permanent. One quiet sob escaped her lips and her shoulders shook harder. Severus could not bear it anymore. "See you next time then..."

He stood carefully in one smooth movement and took a couple of steps over the vomit so that he was right before her. She was huddled in a shaking rocking huddle with her curly hair hanging over her shoulders, down her back and shadowing her bloodless face. He felt the last of his heart, that wasn't already suffering, squeeze.

He bent down again so that he could look at her bowed face. He needed to comfort her for his sake as well as hers. It hurt him to see her in such a state – hurt him to unimaginable proportions. When his face was in line with hers he saw that now her bloodshot autumn brown eyes were open and resting on his with a blank coldness that begged him to keep away. He could do no such thing.

He held out a slender hand to her face to push aside the hair before stroking her damp cheek for reassurance. She watched his fingers with flickering eyes as they neared her pale skin. Her shaking did not subside. The bitter acrid taste of vomit filled her mouth. The closer the fingers got to her, the more her pupils seemed to constrict in fear.

The second he touched her face comfortingly she jerked backwards away from the caress with wide horrified eyes. He was startled. She finally managed to find a new strength – born from an angry breaking heart - to stand. It was a shaky motion but she managed to push herself up very quickly to look down at the crouched form of Severus in his robes indistinguishable from hers. If he had had his hood pulled up, that would have been the last straw that broke the camel's back. Luckily he did not.

She stumbled backwards a little and almost toppled as she straightened but regained some form of control. The solid cool earth under her feet was moving and uneven and she felt as though the world was spinning. Severus stood too to try and help her.

He took her arm to support her and she yanked it away hurriedly and gasped at his touch as though it stung. On the other arm that he hadn't grabbed was the dark mark, fresh under her skin and black as the sky now. The skull with a snake coming from its mouth was permanently imprinted into her flesh for all eternity. And as her thoughts turned back to the burn on her arm so painful and hot they led to the image of Severus standing at her side as it happened. She had not been able to think frozen in confusion and disbelief. She had depended on Severus to protect her – had it been too much to ask? He had merely stood by and allowed the deed to be done.

Severus knew that this reaction was not uncharacteristic but all the same he felt some of the weight of what he had done start to sink in when she threw his arm off of her and lurched backwards. "See you next time then..." It was a miracle she did not slam down onto the cold dirt and that she remained quaking, but standing. She looked at him with terror and her breathing once again quickened.

Severus retrieved his arm and just stared at her, unsure of what was the best thing to do. He looked her over, standing back from him, pale with her hair hanging limply around her and on the blue shoulders of her new robes still balancing on her. In the pocket of her robes was the white mask and Severus tried ignore it as best he could.

"You," she spat. Her voice was shaking with uncertainty and pain. She started to shiver harder than before but her tone was firm and angry. "Don't touch me." Severus looked blankly surprised. But his eyes revealed his grief. A single tear escaped her control and slipped down her already damp cheeks from her raw red eyes.

She took a couple of shaky steps backwards in the direction of the castle, keeping her unsteady gaze on him all the while. Once he was a far enough distance away from her to be sure she was safe she turned and began to attempt to race up to the castle gates but couldn't manage more than a stagger.

Severus was quick to follow but kept his distance. She was incredibly unstable and, from the looks of it, was getting worse. He did not know how to feel and so the numbness consumed in a way he was grateful for because it allowed him to think in a sensible way.

He watched her sadly as she stumbled up to the castle as fast as her weak legs could carry her.

Ok... even smaller chapter (eensy weensy ickle little chapter) – but the quality u have to admit is getting a teensy bit better – what I was hoping to accomplish with this story.

I'm about a three quarters of a chapter behind schedule – there was supposed to be a lot more here but it is a one piece kinda thing so that'll have to be the main part of chapter 18.

I tried to make the images as real as they were in my head – if you could see it as clearly as I did that means I've done my job and thank u because it doesn't work without ur imagination. (However looking back on some stuff I feel a bit lame in some parts - wont tell u which cos I dont wanna put u off).

Luv, Snakecharmer.

PS: Yes the cat will have a later part to play (though I cant say its incredibly important).

PPS: I am starting to go off this story... which often results in me dropping them. But I will continue to write for as long as I possibly can! I am going to FORCE myself to finish it, even if it is painful, because I need to say I have completed one large story (having a few large ones hanging - not on ff).However for days now the begining of chapter twenty has not been touched - I have moved over to ES for a while but I will return when I feel I won't crash into depression.