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CHAPTER ELEVEN - BATH TIME
Hermione's eyes opened slowly as she felt herself slip from sleep, thin light seeping in through the window boards. She stifled a gasp at the sight of the sleeping man beside her. She must have fallen asleep in the bed last night. She rubbed at her eyes and observed him, still lying on his back, his legs spread slightly, one hand resting low on his stomach where there were no wounds, and the other stretched above his head, his bent elbow extremely close to her face. Her eyes traveled down from his face to his exposed torso. The open wounds she had put the salve on looked better, they had closed up but were still red and angry against his skin. She wondered if he would hurt again when he woke. She repositioned her head on the crook of her elbow and kept an eye on Snape until she drifted off again, remembering something she might have thrown in her bag on accident…
Severus' eyes flew open and he sucked in a sharp breath. It took a moment before his panicked brain adjusted to where he was and sighed in relief when he recognized the dusty old room. He ached all over, his front and back stinging from the hexes that Bellatrix had tortured him with. He thought he would hurt more. Catching sight of the vials and jar on the table, he pinched his brows, remembering the night before. He winced at himself for needed so much help from her, and then winced again, remembering his curse addled brain focusing on her cleavage. How ridiculous. He turned his head to look at her; she was folded on her side, facing him, her eyes closed. She had done a good job of helping him, not that he would ever admit it. She looked exhausted, he noticed, and perhaps not just from last night. Observing her closely he realized she was somewhat thinner since they had gotten here. Not drastically so, but he noticed the minute changes around her cheek bones and her wrists.
Severus blinked and looked towards the bathroom. It looked horribly far away but he needed to go. Bracing himself for the inevitable pain, he tried to sit up. It took him a few times, but he finally got upright, slowly sliding his legs off of the bed and planting his feet. He paused a moment, letting the swimming in his head settle before he made the attempt to stand. He got part way before one leg started to spasm and he dropped back to the bed, gripping his thigh. She was there in an instant; he didn't even know she had woken up. She was perched beside him, one hand clasped around his upper arm, the other hovering over his thigh.
"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice was low with sleepiness.
"I'm fine Miss Granger."
Her hovering hand dropped down to the bed and her grip lessened on his arm, but she didn't let go. "You can lean on me if you need."
"I don't need help getting to the lavatory. Where is my shirt?"
"Erm, it's a bit…" She pointed down towards the foot of the bed.
He leaned forward to glance at it and didn't need an explanation once he saw it. "Ah."
She released him, and he took the chance to stand up again, this time succeeding. He paused as he felt the dizziness return. He inhaled to take a step forward but in reality, it was a shuffle, his legs aching from the many cruciatus curses refused to do as he bade. He looked back at Hermione and was deeply relieved when she stood without him having to say anything and wedged herself against him as he placed an arm around her shoulders and she wrapped her own around his hips. He was impressed with her strength yet again as she bore much of his weight all the way into the bathroom and was momentarily distracted from the aching by the foreign feel of her soft sweater pressed against his skin and the even stranger sensation of her fingers pressing into his hips as they hobbled along. Once inside the bathroom, she threw him a look he didn't understand, and left him alone, not fully closing the door behind her.
Hermione tried to adjust her brain around the concept of physically helping her invincible, intimidating professor but it just wasn't sticking. It seemed unreal. She returned to the bed, also trying to push aside the niggling in her head which reminded her she had slept beside him last night and pulled her beaded bag to her. She dug around inside, feeling the contents until she found what she was looking for. She pulled the bottle out and looked at the tidy label she had written, just to be sure. This was a potion Molly had given her over the summer to help with muscle aches and stress and also acted as a soothing tonic for skin. Hermione swore it was miracle stuff. She placed the bottle on the table and glanced at the bed, she had slept very well. It had been more than just the bed versus her pile in the other room, and more than the relief that Severus had come back alive. She hadn't had nightmares, hadn't felt fear. Hermione's eyes flicked to the bathroom door as it creaked open, Severus standing in the doorway, pushing it open. She hesitated before she stood up, realizing she had been thinking about him by his given name.
"Wait there." She instructed, grabbing the large bottle off of the table and striding towards him.
"What is that?' He asked suspiciously, his drawl starting to come back.
"It's a potion, it ought to help you."
"Give it here then." He reached out his hands and Hermione giggled.
"Not so fast, this one isn't for drinking."
Hermione wedged past him into the bathroom and started running the water in the tub. When it started to spit out hot, she closed the drain and opened the bottle, putting two capfuls into the tub. The potion bubbled up delightfully turning the water a wonderful shade of midnight blue. Severus watched the whole thing with one eyebrow raised.
"While I have no mistrust of your potion, how do you propose I get in?" He wasn't entirely sure he had the balance to stand on one foot and sink down into the tub.
He watched as she turned a delectable shade of crimson. "Perhaps…" he watched her walk back out into the bedroom and heard strange grunting noises, explained when she appeared back in his line of vision pushing the trunk. "What if we put this by the tub, you can sit on it and lower yourself in. No balance required."
It wasn't a horrible idea and it saved him from the profound embarrassment of Miss Granger seeing him naked. She had seen far too much already. He nodded his consent and she continued to push the chest into the bathroom, grunting as she did so. She stopped the water running and stood, glancing over at Severus.
"If you need anything, just shout." She grinned crookedly, "I won't go far."
He had the grace to snort at her bad joke about being stuck in the house and nodded. She left the room, leaving the bathroom door cracked as she left. Severus watched her go, wondering what other things she could possibly have hidden in that bag of hers. He pushed his pants down then sat on the chest, hating that he had to sit to finish pulling his own pants off, like some old man. He turned on the box and lowered his feet into the water. He suppressed a groan, the water felt better than he had anticipated, unable to remember the last time he had actually taken a bath instead of his usual perfunctory shower.
SHSHSH
Hermione gathered his shirt and socks from where she had tossed them and took them downstairs. She returned to the room, took her beaded bag and dug around, pulling out a change of clothes and a small container, a travelling clothing detergent. She slipped out of her jeans and sweater, into the leggings and t-shirt. After a moment, she dug around in her bag and pulled out another shirt and left it on the bed, taking her clothes and the container downstairs as well. She let the water run in one side of the sink until it was hot, filling it up and placing the pile of clothes inside. After a moment she went back up the stairs, grabbed the shirt off the bed, and knocked lightly on the bathroom door.
"Sir, do you mind if I take your trousers to wash them?"
She heard the light slosh of water on the tub and a sigh. "You may. They are on the other side of the chest."
Hermione pressed the door open and kept her eyes level at the floor, letting a curtain of hair fall between her face and the side of the room with the tub. She took the few paces forward and picked up his trousers. She paused once she had a hold of them, then after a moment of thinking, she pulled his boxer briefs out and put them on top of the chest and the shirt she carried down next to them. She was glad her hair was hiding her face; she knew she was bright red. She cleared her throat.
"There's a shirt here for you, but I'm afraid I don't have pants that will fit."
"That is fine."
Hermione nodded and scurried from the room, returning downstairs to begin scrubbing out their clothes.
SHSHSH
Severus had not thought about his underthings when he gave Miss Granger permission to take his trousers. It had been quite the mistake. She had handled it with grace, but his voice had come out strained when he told her it was fine. He was determined to go back to bed after this, at least then he wouldn't be wandering about the house in his boxer briefs in front of her. He had been momentarily shocked by her change in clothing. The thin black pants hugged her legs, emphasizing the curve of her bum as she bent over to pick up his trousers, the slightly too big t-shirt falling forward a bit. He had silently cursed himself for even noticing, peeling his eyes away from her to stare blankly at the faucet until he realized out of the corner of his eyes that she had separating his briefs from his trousers. That had been sobering.
After a time, the water grew chilly and he let it drain, watching it swirl away until there was just a thin layer left. He looked determinedly at the chest and kneeled, placing his palms on top and pushing upwards, gaining his feet enough to stand. He noticed a towel was within reach and wondered where on earth she had gotten that from. He picked it up and knew immediately it was a Hogwarts towel, he raised an eyebrow. Little thief. He was grateful for it now. He dried as much of himself as he could reach; noting some of his normal dexterity had come back after the bath. His aches were nearly completely gone, and his wounds look less raw. That potion was brilliant. He pulled on his briefs and the shirt and sat back down on the chest. He took a breather before standing and shuffling towards the bathroom door. Yes, he could make it to the bed himself. He moved along slowly, noting that his shuffling gate was turning more into a walk. He was relieved to make it to the bed and climbed in, sitting up, leaning against the headboard.
Hermione's curly hair appeared a moment later, accompanied by her knocking softly. She approached the bed and motioned to the empty side. "May I?"
Severus nodded, and she sat in a matching position to his, leaning back against the headboard. She did not get under the blankets and Severus was grateful for that boundary until he was distracted by her legs in the tight black pants again.
"What happened?" She asked quietly.
"Cruciatus, some slicing hexes, she had a knife which was a bit redundant."
"What did she ask?"
His nostrils flared. "She wants to out me as a traitor so anything that would make me seem as such."
"And you gave nothing away." Did she sound proud?
"Naturally." He drawled.
Hermione smiled and turned so that she was facing him, "I won't either."
"You have not been tortured before."
"No," she said slowly as if chewing over a thought, "But I know I won't."
Severus apprised her a moment then nodded, accepting the offering of food she passed him, more than what either of them ate in one sitting. They ate their miniscule meals together in silence, each somewhere else far away in their mind.