Severus rolled over in the large bed afforded to him by his unwanted position. Images of the girl hidden away in his room filling his traitorous mind. The whining pleas that had filled the room when she had taken the salve inside, the way she reached for his hand trying to place it inside her. He had relented at the very end when he feared that she would harm herself if she didn't get what she wanted.

Like a stubborn child, she had clawed at her own skin forcing his hand, quite literally. The feel of her natural release on his fingers was something that—despite his best efforts—lingered even in his restless sleep. He felt lost in his own depreciation. His deeds lowering his self-worth even further. The actions he had taken in her care settled darkly inside his heart and he knew he could never believe himself above the men who had done this to her.

A deep sigh returned him to his back and his hand came to rub his brow. He turned his head towards the mirror he'd set on his bedside table. She had put up a small fight before bed, even with a warm snack to fill her stomach, she had fought the call. He had sat beside her for nearly thirty minutes letting her hold his hand against her chest.

His heavy eyes were trying to tell his brain that something was amiss in the image but it took him a rather embarrassing amount of time to register that she wasn't in her bed. His body came up, taking the mirror quickly into his hands. He adjusted the dials along the side trying to find where she had gone. She'd never left the bed before on her own, a fact that sparked his sleep deprived brain with worry.

When the mirror landed on the corner of the room, he could see Granger curled up impossibly small. Her hands were in her hair clawing at her ears. Her head was down and she was rocking slightly. Severus sat himself up straighter, tilting the mirror to try and get a better angle. At the same time her head fell back hard into the corner, her face twisted in pain. Her eyes were wide open; the dark red pools spilling down over her cheeks staining her pale skin.

"Crisse!" Severus cursed loudly, coming to his feet so quickly he nearly fell over from the rush.

He tossed the mirror to the bed and hurried to the end where he'd set the suitcase. He didn't even notice the two large tennis ball eyes that were watching him, hidden in a dark alcove. He pressed his wand to the locks on the outside before throwing it open. Another wand flick made the spiral staircase appear and he was inside in seconds, the lid closing and locking automatically behind him.

Severus thumped heavily down the stairs before taking the turn he needed. He was on his knees before her in moments, his wand immediately pressed into her temple; the diagnostic spell rushing past his lips so fast it almost ruined the cast.

Severus gritted his teeth as the reading floated into the air. The pressure behind her eyes was too high, the scar tissue having made her eyes too hard to adapt. He hadn't given her the medicine to remove it for fear of over stimulating her but now he found he had no choice. If he didn't bring her eye pressure down, he risked permanent brain damage.

Severus pushed away, quickly going to the cabinet. He rifled through the various potions inside before pulling out what he needed. A deep retching noise turned his head and his own stomach churned as her snack of oatmeal with diced strawberries came up all over the front of her dress and legs. The color of the mixture as unsettling as the noise that followed.

He pulled out a long thin needle as well knowing that the potion would not act quickly enough on its own and fell back down to his knees in front of her. Reluctantly, he cast a full body bind, freezing her look of pain in place. His own eyes burned as he took her cheek, resting the ridge if his palm beside her temple.

A slow even breath aligned him too the center of her wide blood red eye and he pushed the needle in slowly. The small pressure followed by the blood and liquid that ran down eased his heart, but only just. He hadn't any real idea on the damage the needle would cause only that he needed to spare her mind. Silently counting to five he pulled the needle free and moved to the other eye.

Blood covered the floor, mixing with the sick. Severus pulled the needle back before banishing away the entire mess. The spell used to hold her still fell away next and his hands shot out to take hold of her as her eyes fluttered closed. Her chest continued to heave and her throat constricted with hiccups. Her hands pawed blindly at his arms as he helped to keep her upright.

"Miss Granger?" A deep groan was his only response followed by her head rolling against the wall, "How's your head?"

Hermione's skull was throbbing too much to process his words. Her entire body burned with fatigue and pain. She couldn't even feel her face or her hands, let alone speak. It was like her brain had stopped all but the most basic of functions. She had been woken from a nightmare by the horrific pain and had blindly searched for the medicine man before she'd been unable to move at all. She had seriously believed that death had finally come for her when the pain in her skull had blocked out everything around her. Even now all she could do was gasp for air.

Severus felt his head hang down, he didn't know why her eye pressure had suddenly sky rocketed. He made an educated guess that the fluid that had taken her hearing had shifted from her ears to her eyes when his potion had done its job but he was no healer. He had no answers for the sudden occurance or even if it would reoccurre.

His only choice was to give her the medicine designed to remove the scar tissue over her eyes and attempt to restore her sight. He had treaded carefully up until this point, fearing her mind to be too fragile. Now, the fates had once more pushed his hand.

An apologetic look crossed his face when he pushed her heavy head back into the corner. Murky tears ran down the corner of her nose and his heart lowered with their fall. His eyes turned down taking the vial into his palm. How much more could she possibly take? Was he truly willing to find out? Why was he doing this at all? What was the point of any of it?

Two words could end it all. Two simple yet heavy words. His wand had risen before he'd even noticed, the tip of it resting over her fluttering chest, straight over her heart. It would be painless, quick and easy. He'd done it before. What was another crack in his already tarnished soul? His tongue grew heavy in his mouth as he leaned back, keeping the wand pressed tight to her chest. So many problems solved by two simple words.

Just as his jaw released to speak the words that would surely send him to hell, her eyes opened. The split iris staring back into his own. The blood that had filled the white around had abated, leaving behind a rose pink. The deep brown hidden behind the heavy gray layer of scar tissue fell deeply into his own and his natural gift took over, taking him from his world into her own.

Her mind was black but it was not silent Small wisps of smoke moved all around, holding no images. Emotion reigned heavily in the absence of actual visual memory. Pain, confusion, pleasure filled the voids. Her thoughts had been widdled down to nothing more than basic needs. Sounds floated in the space, screams, tortured cries. Some were her own, while some belonged to others. Despite himself, Severus pushed to find out how all this happened.

At the very back of her mind, there was a small ball of light, a memory desperately clung to. As he called it forth he felt her entire inner thoughts shift and her mind harshly pushed him out. When his eyes came back into focus he felt her need for him. A pure, almost child-like need, innocent and desperate. She trusted him, as much as she was possibly able to. It was this vision that lowered his wand.

"Let's go back to bed..." Severus was gentle—more than he had ever been with another—pulling her from the floor, he cradled her to his chest and turned toward the bed.

Instead of laying her down he turned and sat, in his own nightclothes already, he stretched himself out over the sheets. Laying back against the pillows, he adjusted her weight to a more comfortable position before calling the blanket from the floor. Her heels pressed against his hip while her upper body found its home against his own. Her chin tucked safely under his jaw, he settled the blanket around her letting her take hold of it before resting his arms on top.

He could feel her body relaxing, slowly unwinding. The hypnotic rise and fall of her back against his arm easing his own tension. He couldn't explain what he felt in that moment. Only that it felt right despite the protests his wary mind attempted to put forth.

oOOo

Severus stood tall in the alcove overlooking the grounds. Just a few more days and the school would be filled with children that he could do nothing but watch suffer. Though he often found their ignorance irritating, he didn't outright loathe them. He took his position seriously. He was—had been—their educator.

He was strict yes but it was for their own safety. Potions and the Dark arts were not so trivial as some of the other subjects taught in the school. His failure to impress upon that fact to ignorant self-entitled children would always be met with disaster. He wasn't perfect in his methods and yes he had failed but he always strived to do everything he could.

His injustice was scripted but he had his own ways of balancing the scales. His darkly shadowed eyes turned towards the brisk walk of the tartan woman who had played his enemy so many times before. No longer was Albus there to soothe the tension between them. He had already spoken to the portrait about how to handle the lioness. He just hoped he was strong enough to keep the game going.

oOo

Hermione woke with a terrified cry rattling her healed ear. Her body coated in a cold sweat. The dream that had filled her with fear had gone but the emotion it left behind left her trembling. Her body ached, her head throbbed and her stomach felt as though a spiked ball had grown in jt overnight. It was not such a foreign situation for her but still it was unpleasant.

Her chin fell down to her chest as she forced herself to calm. Her scream would have attracted attention. Possibly unwanted attention. Her throat ached from the force of her cry. The night before was quickly returning to the forefront of her thought and she brought her hands up to rub at her sore eyes. The medicine man had stayed with her, taken the pressure from her skull. She could still smell him on her clothes and bedding but where was he now?

The space around her was quiet, only her harsh breaths reached her senses. Another gulping swallow slowed her chest enough to allow her breathing to go quiet and she lifted her head from her chest. Despite the pain that was burning on the outside of her conscious mind she forced her body up from the pillows.

No one had come to her scream. She was still very much alone. Her fingers reached out to the side where she'd learned the medicine man left her water and felt the smooth rim of her modified cup to be ever present. Her sense of hearing also afforded her brain with a relative sense of spacial awareness.

She certainly felt as though she were in a room but there was something odd about the deminsions. It was like there was no ceiling at all. As though she were deep inside a tall box. These observations helped to distract from the discomfort a coping mechanism she'd long since acquired.

Her arm shook slightly when she brought the cup up to her lips. The outside was cool and the juice inside was a pleasant relief to her tongue. As she drank Hermione rubbed at her eye. The constant pain was faded and for the first time since coming to this new world she actually took notice of the changes.

The skin was smooth and warm to the touch, it hurt to press too hard but didn't bother her much otherwise. Her natural response to open and close her eyes had gone but now she tried to open them consciously. Unfortunately, her dark world didn't change, she only felt the discomfort the action brought to her skin before letting them close again. She wondered idly if the Medicine man had intentions to restore her sight—if it could even be restored and who she would see if it could be.

oOOo

Severus pursed his lips into a hard thin line. The first meeting of the term was underway. The entire room was silent as the returning teachers looked over their given curriculums for the year. He could feel the turmoil brewing in their passive faces but no one dared to speak. The Carrows were barely containing their excitment over what they would be allowed to teach and just what methods they would be allowed to use to implement their education.

The large pendulum clock behind his head let out a heavy gong lifting the heads of all those present to his position. He gave them all an impassive, yet sharp look before coming to his feet. To him, the meeting was concluded if they had any problems with what they'd been given, they'd have to sort it out for themselves. For now, he had other matters to attend to.

No one spoke as made his way out, though he could feel their loathing weighing down his shoulders. Teachers whom he had once taught beside no longer hiding their hatred for him. It wasn't anything new to him and he actually felt completely apathetic to the weight of their disapproval. Hatred he understood.

His retreat to his chambers was quick and uneventful. He didn't even pause when he walked through the headmaster's office towards his private chambers. For reasons unknown to him, he felt desire to spend his time in the company of only one other. A revelation he refused to ponder as he closed and warded his door.

Soft noises greeted him when he came to the floor. His eyes turned over the space but his ears had already turned his feet into the proper direction. His head tilted with curiosity when he rounded the half-wall leading to the bedroom space.

Hermione had her face pressed into the pillow, her back arched over her knees as she rubbed her itchy eyes into the fabric. Her ears had picked up on something but she was presently too occupied with sating the burn that she was only making worse over her eyes.

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione jolted and went still upon hearing the deep voice. The medicine man knew her name. She was quite certain she had never given him neither name nor title but didn't question his knowledge. Oddly, she found comfort in hearing it, even if the title sounded impersonal. She took a small breath and turned her head before slowly lowering down onto her side. Her hand came out, searching for him and her heart eased when she heard his approaching steps.

Severus sat himself on the bed in the space she'd made before letting her explore his arm. He turned his own attention to the burned and irritated skin, "Do your eyes hurt?"

"Mm." Hermione grunted her response, crawling closer. She nudged his hand with the top of her head like a cat before clumsily trying to climb into his lap.

Severus grunted softly from her behavior but kept her out of his personal space with a firm arm on her bicep, "Can you open them?"

Hermione let out a short whine when she was held out but didn't resist. Her chin tilted back to his question and her lashes fluttered just enough to see the bottom of her eyes. The effort was immense but she was willing to please him any way she could.

Severus tilted her head back towards the light shining over head. Her hand had crawled into his lap but his focus on her eyes was keeping his attention for now, "I want to give you a potion for your eyes. It will hurt, can you withstand?"

Hermione let out a soft noise of affirmation, her fingers toying with the plat protecting the zipper on his slacks. She felt as though she'd been waiting an eternity for him to come to her. The absence of hands on her skin was starting to grate on her frayed nerves. She'd endure anything just to make him stay.

Severus could skim the very top of her feelings through the small window that her eyes provided him, her desire to endure pain just to be in his presence making him grow very concerned about her mental health. Pushing it aside for now, he used his thumbs to open her eyes wider, taking a very close look for the first time.

The layer of scarring ran directly center, the iris perfectly bifercated. The color was a deep gray and the circle was off center of it's self by a few millimeters. Her rubbing had turned the rose pink dark but the deep blood that had filled the white was still abated. The skin felt rough but his salve should make it smooth again.

He had no idea what her chances were, he could only hope that it would be worth the pain. The potion he'd managed to find was actually designed to remove cataracts but was also said to remove scaring from cut damage. He didn't know if it would restore her sight but it was a place to start.

His hands sprung away when her cool finger tips touched something he very much didn't want her anywhere near and it was only with his formidable restraint that he didn't throw her from the bed. His hand ripped her wrist from his slacks and a deep breath kept his words from coming out in a harsh snarl, "Hands to yourself, Miss Granger."

Hermione jolted from his tight hold and her shoulders curled submissively and her head lowered down with a soft whimper. She didn't understand. Why couldn't she understand? Why did she feel so compelled? These thoughts and more swirled through her mind as her body was pressed back into the bed. Her chest arched to feel him as binds came to hold her wrists and ankles. The binds shut down any more thought as she felt her mind going to it's safe place. A place that protected her through all she had endured.

He was finally going to do what the others had done. Finally, he would do what she expected. Despite the lack of additional stimulation her body felt more than ready to accept the pain that was sure to follow. Her head rolled towards the sky as her mind went blank.

Severus quickly adjusted himself, making sure that the witch would be unable to do that again. The soft ropes he'd called silently to keep her still while he gave her the potion had momentarily caused his attention to fixate on her reaction to them. All individualized thought had completely left her mind space and her body had completely submitted. He couldn't understand the seemingly hot and cold personality shift at present and thus pushed it aside for later introspection.

Calling the potion from the cabinet he let his mind clear before leaning over her head. He would do both eyes at once, hoping to speed up the process of her recovery. If she managed well after the first dose, he would work on fixing her other ear as well.

Hermione could feel his heat pressing over her and her heart fluttered. When she felt him raise a bruised eyelid she held her breath. The liquid that fell over the surface felt cool, menthol like before a searing heat raged straight through to her brain. She bit her tongue to contain herself but when the second eye joined the first she could no longer hold herself back. Her scream echoing all around them.