Hand Talk

Disclaimer: Of course I own all of these characters. I keep them locked up under my bed and feed them table scraps. NOT! If I owned these characters I would be sending these stories to my publisher (which does not exist) and not sending them to Summary: Hermione is found bloodied and bruised, without her sight and hearing. Resorting to the only communication she knows, there is only one other who understands her. HGSS

Rating: M (mature themes, violence and language)

Chapter 19

Warning: Chapter Summary may contain plot spoilers

Chapter Summary: Hermione seems someone else's memories.

As Hermione walked out of her bathroom she locked eyes with the little girl in her bed. "Goodnight, Nicole," she signed stepping forward and giving her a light kiss to her temple.

"Goodnight," she answered when the older witch had stepped back again.

The little girl closed her eyes and drifted into peaceful dreams as Hermione disappeared from view and the door closed leaving only a slighter of light peering from under.

Walking through the sitting room Hermione checked that the Chambers were warded and secure on her way through to Severus's bedroom. Happy that everything was in order she stepped into the room removing her dressing gown along with her slippers and leaving them beside the bedside table she climbed into the large bed, enjoying the feel of silk sheets against her body.

"Goodnight, Severus," she whispered gently placing a dainty hand over his and gently squeezing.

"Goodnight, Hermione," he answered returning the gesture and making her stomach flutter lightly. Smiling to herself she removed her hand and arranged herself for a good nights sleep.

Hermione didn't know for sure whether it was the silky sheets, the soft bed or her Professor's presence but whenever she went to sleep in this bed with him by her side she always felt safe and enjoyed nightmare-less sleep. Her dreams however did turn out to be rather wild and adventurous, regularly including her brooding Potions Master who was asleep beside her.

ooOOoo

It was late in the afternoon and Hermione was travelling through the dungeons towards a well known destination. Stopping in front of a huge wooded door she knocked twice. "Enter," barked the deep voice from within. Slipping into the Potions classroom she shut the door behind her, discreetly locking it. The room was empty except for the lonely Professor looking up from the papers he was marking at his desk.

"How may I help you, Miss Granger?" he asked, slowly advancing towards her.

Both were silent as the walked towards each other until there was only a foot separating them. Wordlessly Hermione slipped her hands to his upper arms, up to his shoulders and around his neck. Pulling him down lightly she tipped her head to the side slightly as their lips touched in a tender kiss. Adrenalin raced through her body as she kissed again, this time with a little more insistence. Her hands skimmed along his bare chest. As his hands slipped around her waist, pulling her flush against his body, her hand slid into his hair, his fine locks slipping through her fingers.

Hermione moaned against his lips as she felt his erection pressing against her stomach. Grinding her hips against his he returned the moan several octaves lower as their tongues began to dance together.

Breaking the kiss she looked into his endless eyes. A strange feeling similar to a Portkey overcame her entire body. Blindly trying to hold onto Severus he slipped through her fingers, not attempting to grab hold of her as she began to move back.

"Severus," she called as her dream began to dissolve along with her Potions Professor. He remained silent as everything became black.

There seemed to be two doorways out of the darkness even though they were not visible. Hermione didn't like this place. Some thing large slithered around her body causing her to scream. Whatever it was she didn't like it and wanted out now. Randomly choosing the doorway in front of her she pulled herself through it.

Hermione fell onto a hard floor. Grunting slightly she got back to her feet. It was a dark corridor, lit only by the torches held in rusting brackets along the stone wall. The other wall was some distance away, maybe three meters, but was not accessible due to the metal bars much like a cell. Each 'cell' was separated by more bars and roughly square. Whatever these cages once contained was no longer there. The only thing left was the centuries of uncleaned grime. There were two figures beside her both dressed in heavy black robes their faces not visible in the low light.

"These cages once held hundreds of Mudbloods and Muggles, all for the use of the Death Eaters. There are rooms of just about every sort along here," said a female voice from under on hood. "There are rooms to satisfy most desires. I tend to categorize the different objects of torture. Personally I'm not really a fan of them. The Torture Curse has usually been enough for me but a hostess must always appeal to the tastes of her clients. We have the piercing tools including knives of every shape and form, the whips; they pretty much speak for themselves…" The woman's words drifted off as Hermione's mind tried to comprehend this. She had never dreamt like this before, unnamed people, Death Eaters, casually talking about torture. She felt sick, physically sick. Then she remembered, this was her dream, if she didn't like it she could change it. Reaching forward she grabbed at the hood of the silent Death Eater. Her hand slipped right through it. She swiped her hand at their midsection. Same result. It was as if she was an invisible, undetectable ghost. Like how she would be if she was in pensive.

Someone else's memories, that's what this was. But it couldn't be. She was semi-translucent, like a ghost. When you were in someone else's memories you retained your original form; solid. Whatever it was she didn't like it.

A pulling came over her as she was dragged after the two, Death Eaters she concluded. She must be linked to one or both of them.

As they continued down the passageway the torches continued to light spilling their light into the empty cells. Soon there were huddled figures in the cells. She could tell by their clothing that they were Muggles. Some were young, only a few years old, others were older, maybe in their fifties. The children clung to their parents. As the torches lit they all scampered back to the stone wall, huddling together, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Before she knew what was happening the still silent Death Eater gestured to a cell and a young woman and her little boy were dragged out by the wand of the woman. The woman with matted brown hair and a torn sundress was screaming for them to just take her and leave her son as he clung to her for dear life.

The witch just chuckled directing them through a doorway which seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Hermione knew what was going to happen and she was scared. She wanted to stay outside away from what was going to happen but she had no control as she was pulled in behind them.

'Think, Hermione. How did you get here?' she asked herself. The dark room was her way out. She just needed to get back there. But, how? She was linked somehow to one of these two people, or perhaps both.

Looking up from her train of thought she viewed the room. It was stone with three benches. Two were now occupied by the two Muggles, the other displaying an array of items of torture. The walls displayed different items of torture; whips, chains and other painful instruments. The two hooded figures were now de-robed. Bellatrix Lestrange and Theodore Nott. Hermione nearly jumped a foot in the air. How could she have not sensed it before?

'I have to get out. I have to get out,' she thought as Nott advanced towards woman, his own shiny silver blade drawn.

Hermione closed her eyes tightly as the woman's pleas became cries, the blade which had once pierced her skin dicing up the mother before her.

After what seemed an eternity her cries subsided a little, the young boy's cries for his mother mingling with hers of pain.

"Your father has taught you well, Theodore," commented Bellatrix as she leaned against the wall idly playing with her wand, thoroughly enjoy every moment of their screams. "My turn now." Stepping away from the wall, Nott retreated back a little giving Bellatrix the floor so to speak. "Crucio!" she shouted, wand pointed directly at the small boy. His howls of pain echoed around the room as his body thrashed about the table, his hands and feet tied down.

"Stop, it! Stop IT!" Hermione shouted, her hands clamped tightly over her ears trying to stop the noise as it rang in her ears.

Finally Bellatrix lifted the Unforgivable. The small boy slumped against the table, his chest moving visibly as he sucked in precious air, his face pale.

A sudden inspiration came to Hermione. She raced towards Nott as he stood there watching the mother and son both struggling with consciousness. The last thing she saw was his sardonic smile as they locked eyes a moment before Hermione fell into the black space again.

Two exits, one she had already tried the other unknown, most likely back to herself. The uncomfortable feeling of being watched flowed around her as she felt a creature slither by not a foot away.

She needed the right exit, but which was which. As she edged towards one she heard screams. Stepping back she fell over the something slithering behind her like a giant serpent, its slithering body reaching her knee in height. She wanted out NOW. Heading toward the other exit she heard gentle murmuring. Although she couldn't make out the words she knew the voice. She raced towards the undefined exit. It was the murmuring of the one who saved her, the one who kept her safe, the one who held her in his arms at this moment.

Hermione turned in his arms, burrowing her head in his chest. Her head ached, her breathing was ragged, her heart pounded against it's confines, her Dark Mark was burning slightly. But none of that mattered. She was safe; the strong arms around her, the warm body next to her, the strong spicy scent surrounding her and the deep voiced words of comfort meeting her ears reminded her of this.

"It's okay," he murmured in rarely expressed kindness, "you're here. Everything's alright. You're safe now."

"I was so scared," she sobbed into his chest as the adrenalin faded from her revealing her fear in full force. "They hurt them so bad. It won't stop."

ooOOoo

An hour later Hermione was sitting on the lounge with a herbal tea laced with a mild sedative. She had been going over the events briefly of what she was dreaming about before the dark room which was described in detail even though it looked like Severus knew exactly what she was talking about and then her form when she was in the dungeons with Nott and Lestrange. When she tried to describe what they had done she clammed up and couldn't tell any more. Severus just insisted that she skip that bit and she told him how she had run at Theodore.

"When I ran at him he looked at me," she told him, her eyes focused on his over her still warm tea. "It was as though he suddenly realised I was there because I was so close to him. I don't know. I was probably just me," she added softly breaking the eye contact.

"What happened then?" Severus prompted as he sat beside her on the sofa.

"I was back in the dark room. The creature was still there. I didn't see it but I know it was huge." Placing her cup on the floor she curled up against the back of the sofa, her head dangerously close to Severus's shoulder."

Severus turned in his seat, allowing her to move from the couch to his chest, her head resting in the nook between his neck and shoulder. "When you got to the dark room again what did you do?"

"I didn't know which way was out. I listened and then I heard your voice. I followed it and then I was here, in your arms."

"Was the Dark Mark hurting at all?" Hermione just nodded still shaken about the ordeal but safe and to her that was all that mattered.

ooOOoo

Author's Notes: Hey everyone. Sorry this took so long to post and that it is a little short. We've recently had a few family issues (mainly my dad suffering a heart attack Christmas Eve and the purchase of a new car), suffice to say that I haven't had much time to either write or plan. Just so you know, I do have what I want to write for the next few chapters planned out in my head but I just have just need to convert the situations and information into an easily understood formate, if you get what I mean. It's all up there I've just got to get it onto paper which for me is the hardest part.

On a happier note, thank-you to everyone who reads and thank-you to everyone who reviews. Your comments are always appreciated. Also, I've just proofread all the chapters (and added a little bit more of a conversation between Snape and the boys when he and Hermione are returning from Dumbledor's office) so if you see any mistakes, please feel free to point them out. Toodles.