A/N: Well here is yet another installment for you viewing pleasure, thanks again to everyone for their reviews and for reading. Your comments were as always much appreciated. Bit of a longer chapter this time with things getting a little heated. Hope you like it.
MysticSong1978: Your question will be answered in the next chapter I promise, I was going to answer it this time but well the characters just ran off and did their own thing.
Alaksandra: Sorry my dear, probably not quite what you hoped for in the way of tending her wounds, he can't give in that easily. Keep hoping though, it will happen eventually.
CathRakka: Thank you very much for the kind review and your encouragement. I am trying to keep the characters as true to themselves as much as possible. I admit Hermione is a bit of a challenge, but it is so much fun to make Severus as mean, cruel and evil as he really is!
Fairy of Fire and Fury: I'm sorry to hear that dear, I too know all too well how awful it is to be drug around a golf course. Hopefully this new chapter will help to make it all worth while.
Okay, enough of me blabbing. Thank you to everyone who posted comments once again. Enjoy!
As she watched Serverus disappear up the main steps Hermione sagged against the wall in exhaustion, her entire body a bundle of throbbing and aching muscles. Taking several slow and limping steps she made her away across the shadowy expanse of the great hall, clinging desperately to the cool stone walls for support as one step at a time she inched her way down the steps towards the dark, dank dungeons. Her rasping breaths echoed off the walls while she fought back tears of pain and whimpers of distress. The normally dark dungeons were shrouded in even thicker shadows as she moved cautiously along the wall, her progress slow and painful
Finally reaching the large wooden door to Severus' quarters Hermione leaned against it for a moment, her flushed cheeks pressed to the cool smooth surface, her breath heated and not too pleasant smelling as it reflected back into her face. Gritting her teeth against the throbbing pain in her ankle she pushed against the door, stumbling into the shadowed and silent room, the grate stood empty, no flickering fire to welcome her back. The sound of china shattering beneath her feet caused her to jump in surprise as she ambled over the threshold. Looking down at her feet she saw the remnants of a delicate china cup spread across the floor, the residual coffee creating several dark sticky stains that with a chilling clarity looked too much like blood for her taste. With shuffling steps and trembling hands Hermione made her way across the room, using various pieces of furniture for support, her eyes fluttering like moths around a flame while her body cried out for sleep.
A dark cool softness surrounded her, her senses flooded with the heady perfume of dried herbs and musk as she collapsed onto the large bed. Body-racking shivers ran through her as she rolled onto her side, drawing the thick black velvet duvet around her, nuzzling her raw and stained cheeks into the blanket. Her stiff fingers played idly in the folds of the duvet, the velvet feeling like so many tender and loving kisses against her fingertips, soothing the turmoil within her and welcoming her down into a deep numbing sleep.
Several moments later Severus came sweeping down the stairs to the dungeons, his steps deliberate yet silent as he moved with the liquid grace of a cat on the hunt. His coal black robes fluttered around him, surrounding him like great leathery wings, his eyes flashing with an intensity unequaled by any demon, raw anger bubbling and boiling in his blood just beneath the surface. The air crackled and buzzed around him as he stopped before the entrance to his chambers, the large typically heavily warded door stood open upon his dark quarters, the pale moonlight from the enchanted windows glittering on the remainder of his anger born outburst. Clenching his teeth in frustration and curling his almost delicate looking hands into trembling fists he stepped over the broken china and with a barely noticeable flick of his wrist sent the door into a shuddering slam behind him.
The loud thud of the door shaking in its frame echoed through the room, reverberating off of the bare walls, dying away slowly to be replaced by the sound of his seething breaths. Where the hell has that unbearable girl ran off to now? he scowled while bowing his head and fiercely pinching the bridge of his nose while fighting back a strangled wave of anger that threatened to crush the little remaining restraint he had some how managed to cling to. Glancing around the room with a gaze sharper than a hawk he observed the door to his bedchambers also standing open, and there poking out from beneath the tangle of the thick duvet was one mud caked and scuffed tennis shoe, seeming to be dangling in mid air.
Stepping into the room cautiously he lit a candle on the far side of the room with a subtle movement of his fingers, the weak flickering light casting wildly dancing shadows about the room as it sputtered to life. There upon the bed, beneath a shroud of thick velvet lay the battered and bruised body of Hermione, her honey hair spreading around her in a tangled mass of curls, leaves and twigs caught in the web of her tresses. Her small dirt covered fingers clutched at the blanket, bringing it close to her chest, only her face visible above the gathered material. Low drawn out breaths flowed past her barely parted lips, the soft swell of her lower lip sumptuous and tempting in the faint light. Without thought Severus found himself approaching the bed, long fingers reaching out towards her, drawing ever closer with each mindless step he took. The glistening pink flesh of her lips called out to him, pulling him ever closer like a puppet on a string, quivering fingers reaching out to the touch the skin that he knew would feel like the richest silk beneath his fingertips.
A groaning breath broke his reverie, bringing a sharp clarity to his clouded mind, his lips curling back in a sneer of displeasure as he quickly drew himself up stiff and straight, his hands once again flexing into fists at his sides. For a moment longer he regarded the girl slumbering before him, his mind raging and berating himself, trying to convince himself that she was nothing more than a nuisance he would much rather be without. But she looks so vulnerable, so tender and isolated, so terribly alone in this world lying there like this. How soft and warm she appears, how silken her skin, how ripe and tempting are those succulent lips. If only I were to… No Severus! he fiercely reprimanded himself as he found himself once more sinking into a foolish dream of her skin and her touch. Shaking his head as if to clear the muddled thoughts from his mind he quickly clutched the edge of the duvet and wrenched it from her delicate grip, drawing a gasp of shock from her pursed lips as her deep brown eyes flew open, wild and frantically searching.
Panic seized her tremulously pounding heart as she gazed up into the fearsome and shadowed face of the man before her. Limp black locks fell around his face in a stark and severe frame against the pallid and gaunt features of his face, his eyes glittering like obsidian in a field of snow. His long shadow fell over her, his already immense high intensified by her lower position, the sight of him clutching the duvet in one hand, the other reaching out towards her caused Hermione to shriek softly, scrambling back across the bed in fear.
"Come here you infuriating child" he growled low and deep, more animal than human as he began to lean towards her. Shaking her head adamantly she continued her slow retreat, truly making no progress as the blanket bunched beneath her frantically kicking feet.
"I will not chase you across this bed Miss Granger. Come here immediately!" he said coolly, his voice making no attempt to hide the threat behind it. Shaking her head once more, her tangled curls flying around her, showering debris upon the bed her eyes grew shiny with unshed tears as she emitted a weak and strangled "no." Letting out a grating growl Severus tried to hold back his rapidly rising anger, feeling the mounting pressure of it against the flood gates of restraint he had resurrected over the years. How quickly one child will break my self-control he mused with clenched teeth. Years of sniveling and infuriating children, doting professors, meddling old men and demanding lunatics could not tear away my control as easily as this one seemingly harmless child. What does she do to me? What possession of me does she have that she can so easily break through my barriers?
"This is the last time I will ask you Miss Granger" he warned with a calculating gaze, the dark pools of his eyes seeming to grew even darker if that were at all possible as he stared her down, catching her own gaze with his. Her chocolate brown eyes were frantic and wild looking in the quivering light, appearing one moment amber and the next black as shadows leapt back and forth across her face. So much like the trapped prey did she appear in that moment, her chest heaving with alarmed breaths, her face reddened and glistening with sweat while the air swirled cool and pregnant with the scent of her fear about the room. "Now come here" he continued in a no-nonsense tone, his patience wavering dangerously.
When he received no more than a frantic shaking of her head as a reply he swiftly grasped an extended ankle in an iron grip, drawing a grimace of pain and a pathetic sounding whimper from her, quickly drawing her across the bed towards him with an animalistic growl of rage. Her legs straddled his own as she turned her upper body away from him defensively. Reflexively her arms covered her face as she pleaded,
"Please Professor, don't hurt me…" Grunting irritably he glared down at her,
"You foolish girl, I am not going to harm you, unless you insist on continuing this ridiculous avoidance of me."
Timidly Hermione lowered her arms a little, peering up at him with watery eyes above her arm, fresh streaks of tears trailing down her cheeks. She visibly flinched as he released her ankle and reached into his robes, her eyes squeezing shut in fear of what was to come. Sighing disdainfully he rolled his eyes in frustration as he drew the roll of bandages from his robes and looking down at the huddled form before him muttered,
"Stop being so melodramatic Miss Granger. Once again I remind you that if I had intentions of hurting you, I would have done so much sooner than this. Merlin knows however, that you do indeed have a knack for straining my self-control. Now, give me your hands." Maintaining the protective barrier of her raised arms Hermione looked up at the man before her questioningly, suspicion evident in her eyes.
Sighing in aggravation at her obvious distrust of him Severus set the roll of bandages down on the bed and turned to walk away, saying snidely,
"Fine Miss Granger, dress your own wounds. I will be in my laboratory, I suggest that if you need anything you do not disturb me." Lowering her hands to her lap Hermione glanced down at her hands, through the caked on mud she should see several cuts and scratches varying in depth and severity, her fingers she realized quite stiff with cold and pain, her digits swollen and angry looking.
"Please Professor…" she began in a tentative voice, the softness and helplessness of it pulling at Severus who by some miracle resisted the urge to turn and face her. "I cannot do this myself, please help me…" she continued, using a considerable amount of effort to swallow her fear and pride. Internally scolding himself for giving in so easily he quickly schooled his expression to one of indifference and annoyance before turning to face her and once again approaching her. Situating himself between her spread knees he quickly drew her into a sitting position, ignoring the small squeak of pain that crossed her lips.
"You will cease your foolish behavior?" he asked her flatly. He watched with some amusement as a look of anger flickered across her face.
"I was not…" she began defiantly, her forehead wrinkling into a deep frown as her eyes darkened ever so slightly.
"It would seem Miss Granger that you are unable to curb that petulant tongue of yours, good evening" Severus spoke in a sharp tone that would cut deeper than any knife. Exhaling deeply she bowed her head, her wispy mass of hair falling about her in a cloud-like veil. Fighting back her own growl of frustration she once again swallowed the bitter lump of pride in her throat and said meekly,
"I'm sorry Professor. I would appreciate your help." Sneering in triumph his lips twitched at the corners into some semblance of a smile, though on his face it appeared more as a grimace than a sign of happiness. Once again blanketing his face in an expression of indifference before she looked up at him with shimmering pleading eyes he looked down into her upturned face.
"Another outburst and I will leave you to tend your own wounds, are we clear?" he snarled. Pursing her lips tightly Hermione kept back the insult that stood on the tip of her tongue, dripping with venom that caused an extremely unpleasant taste to permeate her mouth. She nodded slowly in reply, not trusting herself to say a word without later regretting it.
Severus studied her face minutely, waiting expectantly for the insult that he knew she was dying to say, somewhat disappointed when she simply nodded in answer, irritated that she had not succumb to her Gryffindor sense of pride and given him an excuse to flee the room and her close proximity.
"Very well, now give me your hands" he commanded as he withdrew his wand from his robes. He saw the small grimace of fear on her face as she obediently extended her trembling hands towards him. Laying her hands in his Hermione watched silently and a little stunned as he passed his wand over her hands while muttering a cleansing charm under his breath. Once her hands were devoid of dirt and dried blood Severus placed his wand back within the folds of his robes and ran his fingers over her upturned palms. A tremor ran through Hermione, extending from her hands up her arms and out across her chest in a sudden spread of warmth. Demurely lowering her eyes she felt a flush rush to her cheeks at the tingling sensations his touch caused. His fingertips were surprisingly soft and warm against her skin, drifting over her flesh with a tenderness she never would have imagined possible in such a brusque and fearsome man. Turning her hands in his Severus inspected each of her swollen and tender fingers in turn, straightening and flexing them while studying her body and lowered face for a reaction. The soft winces of pain that she emitted caused a small stirring within him, a feeling which he quickly dismissed, burying beneath layers upon layers of malevolence, hatred and his own emotional pain.
Reaching into his robes once more Severus withdrew a small glass vial whose contents shimmered and glowed a pale robin's egg blue in the wavering light, casting shuddering reflections across the ceiling reminiscent of Aurora Borealis. Carefully pouring several drops of the potion onto the top of Hermione's hands he slowly began massaging the liquid into her soft skin. The heat in her cheeks only continued to intensify at the continued almost intimate ministrations of her Professor, she could feel her hands begin to tremble more obviously, unsure whether it was a reaction to the potion or simply to his touch. Rubbing the potion into each of her slender fingers Severus fought the urges mounting within him, a sudden desire to slip her fingers into his mouth one at a time swiftly pushing the air from his lungs as he chocked back a rough laugh. I am loosing my mind! I have finally snapped beneath the pressure he said to himself in a voice that bordered on hysterical.
Hearing her Professor's sudden exhalation Hermione glanced up quickly to see a surprising and somewhat alarming expression on his face. Beneath his rough and cold exterior, gleaming deep in his eyes was what could only be construed as raw, unfettered and ravenous desire. Seeing the look of sheer alarm in her eyes as she glanced up at him, Severus felt a wave of repulsion sweep over himself, his stomach twisted with his own self-loathing and disgust. You are revolting Severus, how could have such inclinations towards a child, you are old enough to be her fathers for Merlin's sake. A bitter sneer spread across his lips as he quickly turned her hands over again and pouring more potion onto them began once again kneading it into her skin, his own self-depreciating thoughts urging him to get the task at hand over with as quickly as possible.
As soon as her hands had been sufficiently coated with the healing potion he deftly began wrapping the pristine bandages around her extended hands, taking care not to wrap them too tightly to permit her some range of movement. He wanted to make sure she was dependent upon him as little as possible while her hands healed. Carefully extricating himself from the warm circle of her parted legs Severus stepped back and smoothing his hair back from his face only to have it fall into place again said flatly,
"I trust you can tend to the rest of your wounds without my assistance Miss Granger. Your bandages should cause no problems, they are water repellent and therefore should not inhibit you in cleaning up." Nodding slowly Hermione glanced down at her wrapped hands, flexing her them slowly, finding the pain almost completely gone and experiencing little constraint on her movement from the bandages.
"Yes, thank you Professor" she mumbled softly while inspecting her hands.
"I will leave you to it then, and suggest you get some rest once you are done" he said in an almost soft voice as he placed the vial of healing potion on the bed before turning and walking towards the door. For a brief moment Hermione thought that would be the end of the discussion, that he considered her injuries enough punishment for obviously disobeying a direct command, however she was sadly mistaken. As if reading her mind, and perhaps he was just a little Severus paused in the doorway, one hand resting against the frame while the other closed around the door handle. A smirk dripping with dark pleasure blossomed on his face as he turned to look at her over her shoulder.
"Oh and Miss Granger…" he began, the silken sound of his voice drawing her gaze up to his. "We shall discuss a fitting punishment for your blatant disregard for authority and the rules in the morning." Bowing her head in shame she nodded slowly and mumbled solemnly,
"Yes Professor." The soft click of the door closing behind Severus echoed in the otherwise silent room as Hermione continued to sit quiet and still on the edge of the bed, her hands lying limply in her lap as she stared off into space. Heaving a long sigh she shrugged her way out of the bulky coat, letting it slip off of the bed and onto the floor as she gathered the vial into her only slightly clumsy hands. Rising to her feet she limped her way into the adjacent bathroom with whimpering breaths.