Chapter 2

"Poppy, might I have your attention here for a minute?"

"Really Severus, what is it. I'm extremely busy at the minute …" She trailed off seeing the student in his arms. There must be something extremely wrong if Severus Snape had carried a student through the school to the hospital wing. She silently pointed him into a side room, closing the door behind them. Severus felt Hermione tense as the door was closed, and as he put her down on the bed she clung to him. He sat down next to her, putting an arm round her shoulders. She wasn't going to let him go it seemed.

"I found Miss Granger in the dungeon. She is very shocked, and something has obviously occurred to upset her, but whether she is hurt or not, I have not been able to ascertain. She was in no fit state to speak to me about her experience, and so I brought her to you Poppy."

Poppy Pomfrey took hold of Hermione's hands. "All right Hermione sweetheart." Her voice was warm and comforting. "It's going to be all right I promise, you're completely safe here, and nobody's going to do anything that you don't want them to. Ok?"

Hermione dully nodded her head, as if she wasn't able to comprehend what was being said.

"Hermione, would it be ok if I had a little look at you my love? I need to see if you're hurt anywhere. I'm not going to touch you if that's what you're worried about." Severus could see that this idea worried her more than a little. He held her close, and wanted to tell her it would all be alright, but couldn't find the words. She was looking at him now, and he could see the pain in her eyes.

"Don't leave me, please." She was pleading with him.

"Don't be silly Miss Granger," he said briskly, tightening his grip on her shoulders.

"Nobody is going anywhere my love." Poppy was holding a steaming beaker of potion. "I want you to drink this sweetheart. It'll make you feel very sleepy for a little while. You've had a nasty shock and I want you to have a little sleep. Professor Snape is going to go outside whilst you get changed into a nightdress, and then he's going to come back in and sit with you. Professor Snape, might I have a word with you outside for a moment?"

"Alright, I'm coming straight back." He handed her the nightdress, and walked out of the room.

"What are you going to do to her?" he asked Poppy angrily.

"I need to examine her Severus, but I can't help her tonight. She's in shock, and she doesn't trust me. The best thing for her is sleep, so I've given her a calming draught to help her relax."

"Well, why can't you just give her a sleeping potion?" he retorted.

"That won't help her, Severus. She needs sleep, but she needs natural sleep if she possibly can. By the way, I summoned Minerva. I thought she ought to know."

"Thanks," he said distractedly.

Poppy put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright Severus?" she asked him gently.

"I'm not the issue here, Poppy. Hermione is. Whether I'm alright or not is not an issue." Of course he was alright, he had to be alright. He was always alright. But he would get to the bottom of this if it killed him.

Hermione woke up, and didn't know quite where she was. Then the events of the last few hours came rushing back to meet her, and she retched. Madam Pomfrey had a bowl there just in time, and there was a comforting hand on the small of her back. When she was sure that there was nothing left inside her to throw up, she sat up shakily, and asked for a glass of water. She realised that the person behind her was Severus Snape, and she turned to look at him.

"Feeling better?" He was looking at her with an expression on his face that she couldn't read. It was half pity, half something else. She didn't want him to leave her, but couldn't tell him that. He handed her a beaker of potion.

"Drink this and you'll sleep till morning and you won't dream. I wouldn't normally do this, but I feel you need it. I'll stay with you tonight." He answered the unspoken question in her eyes. She drank the potion, and lay back on the warm bed. Her eyes were heavy, and she couldn't keep them open. She thought that Snape had kissed her forehead, but she must have dreamed that surely,