Chapter 6

Since that night, Hermione refused to sleep. At night she would sit in her bed doing anything to keep herself from falling asleep, from reciting Potions ingredients, to signing to herself. She constantly reminded herself that if she slept he would return, if not in reality, in her dreams.

Hermione's lack of sleep was starting to worry Madam Pomfrey, just like her refusal to eat most meals and straight out refusal to let the Matron undress her. She was forced to perform a cleansing spell every morning. While as effective as a bath, it did not give the same refreshed feeling.

"Madam Pomfrey," came a smooth voice from behind her. Turing around from the wound she was dressing, the Matron was met with the sight of the Potions Master, clad in black as usual holding a wooden crate full of different shaped, sized and coloured bottles.

"Ah Severus, I see you have brought my top up supplies. Would you care to put them away. You know where they go," she said waving towards the back wall. "Do you know how much longer it will be until Miss Granger's potion is ready?"

"It should be ready in a few days. If you will excuse me I have classes to attend to," he said gesturing to the crate in his arms.

"Sure. I was just wondering. Miss Granger seems to be slipping a bit," she said with a slight frown. "I was hoping that regaining her sight and hearing might help her get out of this little depression."

"Poppy," he added with a slight nod.

Striding down to the back wall, bottles jingling, Madam Pomfrey turned back to the young first year. "He really doesn't understand what he is getting himself into you know," she told him.

ooOOoo

Standing in her doorway, Severus watched the girl in amazement, enthralled by her movements. Her moving hands forming words in his head.

He came and hurt me,

He got me good,

He said he did it because he could.

He left me deaf,

He left me blind,

He left me in a place no one would find.

Then I was better,

I was good,

Then he came back again because he could.

He took my world,

He took my…

Suddenly she realised there was someone there, grabbing her wand from under her pillow she held it tight by her side. The presence was there but not coming near. They were just standing there, closed off to the world, but she could still recognize it. It was him, Professor Snape, but not. This wasn't the same Professor that she had been tormented by since her first year. She didn't know if it was the same person. They shared the same body as far as she could tell but they were different people.

The two stood there watching one another for a moment, before a swish of a cloak and he was gone. For a while afterwards Hermione sat there thinking about what she had just experienced. It was as though an unconscious understanding had passed between the two. She didn't know what it was but there was something. It was the closest thing she had felt to understanding since she had been in this blasted Hospital Wing and in some strange way it gave her a sense of hope.

ooOOoo

Below the bustling Great Hall, in the Privet Laboratory of Severus Snape, the man himself busily prepared the potion he had been devoted to since that fateful night he had found Miss Granger. Stirring slowly clockwise three, anti-clockwise four he pondered the last few days.

When he had first come across Miss Granger, she was a student out of bed after curfew, breaking the rules. When he had seen her injuries he was appalled. Though this would be only minor work compared to that carried out at a Dark Revel, for one student to do this to another was dreadful. At least he hoped it was a student for the safety of all those held in these walls.

Removing his stirring rod, he wiped it clean and set about storing the unused ingredients. The morning after finding Miss Granger, he had been called on to help her in her most vulnerable state. She was weak, confused, scared and alone. Something deep inside him made him want to help her, so he had done as little as possible and helped her, only to be called on yet again.

He had been sent to look for a missing young lady and found a scare little girl. Again she was confused, terrified and alone, and again he could not refuse to help her. He had never before felt the need to help anyone, only the duty to, but this girl, no, young woman now, was doing something to him and he didn't like it one bit.

And today, today she had touched something deep inside of him. Something he had buried long ago and hoped never to relive again. In that simple gesture she had unknowingly delved into his heart, pulling muscles he forgot were there and he did not like it one bit.

Concluding the only way to combat this would be to deal with it the way he dealt with everything; lock it up far away in the back of his mind and avoid it at all costs.

Happy with his resolution, he bottled Hermione's potion and left the lab, locking and warding it.

ooOOoo

Finally Saturday arrived. Harry was in the dressing rooms giving his usual pre-match speech to his team before they all filed out on to the pitch with the usual warm-up lap. The match against Slytherin was a dirty one; fouls flying left, right and centre.

The score was 60 – 70 in favour of Slytherin before Harry caught the snitch from right under Draco's nose. The total of injuries were three black eyes, two crashes, 71 bruises, 42 cuts, one broken leg and several small injuries.

ooOOoo

All the while Hermione was sitting alone in her favourite seat in the Hospital Wing waiting for the Matron to pass every few minutes to attend to one of her patients. The castle had been mostly still today, no periodic passing of masses of students heading off to classes. That meant today was most likely Saturday. But where were Harry and Ron? Had they found something better to do with their time? Sighing she rested her chin on her hand finally slipping into sleep.

ooOOoo

"Madam Pomfrey," called the Slytherin Captain, stepping into the Hospital Wing, followed by two team mates, one stretched, the other accompanying him, and Professor Snape.

"What's the damage today?" she asked casually stepping out of her office.

Stepping forward levitating the stretcher with him the Professor spoke. "Broken leg and strained wrist Madam Pomfrey," he supplied gesturing to the stretched Slytherin and his team mate walking beside the stretcher holding his wrist.

"Alright then, bring them both to the beds at the back of the ward," she told them leading the way.

When the Slytherin Capitan stepped towards the open curtains of Hermione's bed she turned and said to him, "No, not there," she told him. "That is one of the beds of my semi-permanent patients."

Nodding he moved to the bed across the ward helping his new second year chaser on to the bed. "If that wrist is not back to normal by Tuesday, you're off the team. Got it?" he told the girl who nodded slowly. "I went out on a limb for you so you better be worth it." Turning around he spoke to the Matron, "Will these two be fine to return to practice next Wednesday?"

"I can't say now but I will let you know. Now if you will excuse me, I have patients to attend to," she said closing the curtains in his face.

ooOOoo

"Poppy," the Professor said after the Matron closed she screen on to the two Slytherins. "Here is the potion for Miss Granger. One vial should be plenty." Turning he strode out of the infirmary, robes billowing, before the Matron could reply.

ooOOoo

Hermione was thrown bodily against the wall, crumpling into a heap on the floor. Scrambling up, she spotted the swooping figure before she was flipped around, landing hard on the cold stone wall.

"Let me go," she ordered, trying to keep the fear out of her voice as she struggled against the invisible magical bonds.

"I should think not," said the same smooth voice from behind, as a hand came to rest on her hip. Instinctively she pulled away from him. "Yes, that's it," he said calmly grasping her hips between his large hands. Her struggling was pressed as he pinned her between the wall and his body.

"Help, help! Someone help me," she cried out in desperation.

"No one can hear you," he answered.

Wriggling away from him, she felt his arousal pressed into her lower back causing her breathing to hitch. "Yes, that's right," he murmured, his face against the side of her neck. Grinding his hips against her, his grip tightened to a bruising pressure causing her to wince in pain.

Tears formed in her eyes at the thought of what was to come if she didn't get away. Trying desperately to will away the unshed tears, she breathed deeply, calming herself, and maintaining her composure.

"You don't want to do this," she stated trying to talk him out of it. 'Oh God,' she thought. 'Don't do this. Please, don't do this.'

"Oh but I do. I have for a long time." Snapping his fingers a blindfold appeared over her eyes. Rolling her over, Hermione's back was now trapped against the wall. She could feel him in front of her, his body radiating heat, his hair tickling the side of her face. "I have watched you, the way you show off in class. How you think you are so much better than the rest of us." His hand gently unclasped her robe. "But I am going to put you in you place and enjoy doing it. You don't deserve to be here. Do you know why I am doing this? No? Because I can. I intended to break you."

With the snap of the fingers, her robe vanished, reappearing in a crumpled pile on the floor to her left. Grabbing her chin, he pulled her into a bruising kiss. When she pulled away he slapped her hard across the face. Feeling the burning skin brought tears to her eyes again. 'Please,' she begged. 'Not like this. Not like this.' His wand was on her temple before she know what was happening. A blinding flash crossed her eyes and the blindfold was removed revealing blackness, utter blackness.

Grasping her shoulder, the bonds disappeared as she was thrown across the floor, eliciting a scream at the sudden movement. A second later her hands were flying above her head, throwing her back. Her head hitting the floor hard, causing her to shout-out in pain. The only response was a chuckle from the right. Straining her ears she heard the tell tale sounds of a cloak being unclasped and falling to the floor. Before she knew it her ankles were tied down. She was bound to the floor totally exposed, no way of escape, not way to avoid what was to come.

"Please," she pleaded. "Please, don't do this." Her tears on longer contained flowed freely down her face.

Then he was shaking her shoulder. No longer was she on the ground but upright in a chair, her arms and legs free. Lashing out she batted him off scrambling away. Again there was nothing, but now it was more than nothing, she could only hear the blood rushing in her ears as she stood there in long cotton pyjamas. Breathing in deeply she calmed herself. It was a dream, just a dream. It was over, it had happened and now it was the past and over. It was only a dream but it was real. Concentrating she felt the friends she thought had abandoned her; Harry and Ron, along with Madam Pomfrey. At the moment she couldn't concentrate enough to take in the whole ward, but she knew she was safe even though she didn't feel it.

"Hermione, it's okay. It's just us," Harry told her aimlessly. Stepping forward he took her hand which she gave reluctantly as he led her away from the chair. Moving closer she sort comfort in his arms for a moment before he led her back to her bed at the end of the ward, unaware of her new neighbours.