A/N - Sorry this took so long! I have been making the most of the weather being glorious!


The days started to blur into one for Hermione. She spent her days sitting on the sofa, recuperating and watching Snape in his natural environment. The loss of Ron had started to sink in and there was a sense of loneliness and panic setting into her bones. What was she without Harry and Ron? She sat and wondered how her life would be if she survived this and there was no one there, no one to welcome her home or to hug and be grateful that she had survived. She couldn't complain about her current situation though, Snape had been more than hospitable, brewing her potions and painkillers, but she couldn't bring herself to broach the subject or her feelings with him. His potions were healing the physical trauma but she was still inside her head, reliving everything that had happened.

Snape brought her another potion for the many bruises and scars covering her body. He hadn't asked her for intimate details and she was so grateful for the privacy. He sat opposite her reading the latest potion journal whilst she read one of the many novels he had picked up for her, she couldn't help but look at him and wonder what he would have been like if he hadn't fallen in with the Death Eaters. He caught her eye and she looked down at the book, trying desperately to seem nonchalant.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" He asked.

"No, sorry for disturbing you."

"No need to be sorry." He said, returning back to his book.

She went back to her book and tried to concentrate on the characters and their adventure, but ended up putting it down. She had trouble focusing on anything at the moment, her thoughts were all over the place, she had no idea what she was going to do and the anxiety drained her. Mentally exhausted she closed her eyes and fell asleep quickly but the peace would not last, her dreams were haunted by snake-like faces, chains, and pain. She screamed out and could feel the hot tears streaming down her face as someone held her tight in their arms.

"Hermione, it's a dream. You're safe. You're not there anymore." Snape said, holding the small witch in his arms.

He could feel her trembling and immediately thought that a calming draught would help but as he moved to go and get her it, she gripped onto his arm and pulled him back into him. He settled in beside her and awkwardly placed his arms around her. He had never been in this position before and he didn't know what to do for the best. Her eyes were still tightly closed as though she just didn't have the strength to face the world yet. He held her and tried to quieten the sobs that were now racking her body, rubbing his hand back and forth along her arm, hoping it would make even just the smallest of difference. He wondered how many times she had woken like this in her bedroom on her own. He looked down at her tear sodden face and saw that her eyes were wide with shock. She sprang back from him, almost trying to claw up the back of the chair in fear. He tried to keep the hurt from showing on his face but wasn't successful as she relaxed and looked ashamed.

"I am so sorry. I don't mean to be a nuisance."

He made no move to comfort her or touch her again. He wondered whether he had crossed a line and panicked that he may have made this whole thing so much worse.

"You are not a nuisance. Let me get you a calming draught and you can head back to sleep."

She looked at him with surprise, she had gripped onto him out of reflex and the need to feel safe whilst the world around her crumbled and brought her back to the most horrific times.

"I can't go to sleep. I can't go back there. You don't know what it's like."

"Hermione, I do. I know it feels like you're all alone and there is no one on this earth that understands what's going on in your head."

She merely nodded.

"Well, you're not alone. I know I'm not Potter or Weasley but I want to make sure you are as safe as we can make it. So I need you to start trusting me. We're in this together."

He looked at her with such kindness in his eyes that her facade dropped slightly.

"Will you stay with me? Whilst I sleep?" She said, blushing.

He coughed nervously unsure what was the best thing to do.

"I just can't be alone, Severus."

He looked up at her, hearing his name on her lips broke something inside of him. There was nothing maliciousness or wanting in that name. Over the past year, he had gotten so used to hearing his name being screamed by either the Dark Lord or one of the many Death Eaters, it was nice to hear it without any fear being attached.

"Of course, if that will get you to rest. Your body is still not 100% and you could do with sleeping some more."

He left the room to go and get her the calming draught and felt his hands shaking. He wasn't sure how Hermione had managed to disarm him. He had to pull himself together, there wasn't time to work through this, he had to make sure she was safe, find out how to get her back to the Order and find a way to bring down Voldemort. He grabbed the potion and his book, taking a couple of minutes to centre himself before heading back up to her bedroom. He decided that he would sit on the other side of the bed and keep his distance, keep her safe, that was all he had to do. He steeled himself and entered the room, she was sat on the edge of the bed in the pyjamas he had picked out for her and had pulled her thick brown hair back from her face. He passed her the potion before sitting on the other side., she swallowed it in a gulp and clambered under the covers.

"Severus, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can."

"Do you think I'm broken?"

He looked at the young witch with the tears blossoming in her eyes and forgetting his promise to himself he pulled her into his arms.

"No, you are not broken. Don't ever think that about yourself, Hermione. Not ever."

"But, the things they did, the things they made me do." Her voice broke, and so did Severus' heart.

"And you survived, you came out of it, you are safe. When we defeat him I will personally burn all of those places to the ground. They will never hurt another person ever again."

"I see it, when I close my eyes, I see the pod and I relive the horrific moments over again and I can't escape. I can't get out of there. I feel their hands, and the pain they inflict as though they're in the room with me and I don't know how I'm going to get out."

She takes a shuddering breath, feeling a sense of relief knowing that it's out in the world. She looks up at Severus' face and sees it shut down with anger.

"Have I made you angry? Should I not have mentioned it?"

"I am not angry with you. I could never be angry with you. But hear me when I say this Hermione, you will never go back there. I will keep you from going back there. I promise you that."

She sighed and leaned against him, the calming draught finally taking effect and she slipped into a dreamless sleep, with Severus' arm still wrapped around her. He sat there looking at the ceiling and wondering how he could seek revenge without giving himself away. He wondered about the brothels, and how many witches and wizards were trapped there, he thought it was enough to get Hermione out of there but he knew he had to do something more. He just didn't know what, his first priority was to keep Hermione safe and then he would deal with the others. A course set in his mind, he picked up his book and continued reading until his eyes started to close and he found himself falling asleep dreaming of a young witch crying out to him from the dark.

Hermione woke up with the morning sun peeking through the curtains feeling refreshed and more rested than she had done on any previous nights, but she was also tangled up with Severus. During the night he had worked his way under the blankets and now their legs and arms and entwined, she could feel the heat rise in her cheeks and she disentangled herself without waking him up. He had stayed with her for the entire night and she couldn't help but feel a swelling of gratitude. She decided to get a shower and then maybe make breakfast for the both of them, she wandered into the bathroom and turned the water on, it felt nice to clean herself of the tears and sadness that had overcome her last night, she had brought some clean sweatpants and t-shirt in with her and stepped into them. Just as she was about to leave the bathroom, something glinted and caught her eye, it was her collar from the brothel. She thought she would leave it, leave it to rot for all she cared, but something drew her over to it, as though there was something pulling her over to it. She wandered over to it and brushed her hand across the leather and immediately something changed.

Severus had woken up to an empty bed and panicked for a moment, this wasn't his room, and this wasn't his bed. His memory of falling asleep and waking up cold and curling up with Hermione caused him a small bit of panic. He heard the hot water running and relaxed a little, it could be the case that the girl had just got up and there was nothing to fear. He ran his hand over his face and tried to rub the thoughts from his mind and decided he needed some coffee to really think this one through. Just as he was about to get up out of bed, Hermione entered the room, he was just about to open his mouth and talk to her when he realised she was only wearing her underwear and her eyes were glazed and clouded.

"Hermione, what's wrong? Tell me what's happened?" He said, panicked.

"Oh Snape, nothing's the matter."

She walked towards him, hips swaying and winking. She pushed him down onto the bed and started to caress his face.

"Hermione, stop. You don't want to do this."

"But you do. I can see it both in your mind and in your pants." She said sniggering.

To his horror, his cock was hard in his pants and as she straddled him, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like for this to go all the way. He looked up into her face and saw the clouded eyes and snapped himself out of it.

"Hermione, this isn't the way. I don't know what has happened but let me help you. I can fix it."

"I don't need you to fix me. I'm here to serve you, master."

He pushed her off him, and as she jumped back she looked at him appraisingly.

"Oh, so you want it rough?"

She leapt at him again, and this time the glint caught his eye. She was wearing her choker from the brothel. He reached up and as she pushed him down onto on the bed again he ripped it from her neck. Immediately her eyes cleared and she started to look around her and realised the position she was in.

"Oh merlin." She screamed jumping back.

Severus looked at her, trying to catch his breath.

"What happened? Why was I doing that?" She asked. "Why am I naked?"

He threw a robe at her, thinking if he could defuse just one part of the problem it would make her feel a little better.

"You're okay. You were under an enchantment."

"An enchantment?" She said, and then it dawned on her. "My collar."

"Yes, unfortunately so."

They looked at each other, both trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Severus decided to take the lead.

"Breakfast?" He said, standing up and stretching.

"Yes please, I'll just get dressed."

He smiled and nodded and walked down the stairs. He listened outside the door for a second to make sure everything was okay. He didn't hear anything so carried on, deciding to make pancakes, something with a lot of sugar, comfort food at it's finest. As he flipped them over he couldn't help thinking about what it would have been like if Hermione was attracted to him, that they had a future, but then again, that world wouldn't exist, not while the Dark Lord reigned.