Severus picked lightly at the bandage on his hand. He'd have to keep it wrapped for at least two days to stave off infection. He just prayed to the powers that be that nothing would happen in that time. His mind was sitting in a foggy place, while he was meant to be thinking about how he was going to replace Granger's wand; all he could think about was their time in the bath together.

"Do you want me to help you with your hair?" Hermione's voice was soft, a gentle smile ticking at the corner of her lips as she watched him from the other side of the tub.

Severus had been banishing away the larger debris with his wandless magic but it was becoming very clear that his non-dominant hand wasn't as dexterous as his wand hand. He gave her a calculating look as he ran his fingers through his inky locks pulling out another rather mucky clump of ash. Thus far, she'd kept her distance and had busied herself with her own hair.

Her tears had finally come to a stop leaving her face a bit red in places where she'd rubbed them away. The glamour had long since faded but the skin around her eyes was red and irritated from all her crying. Her wet hair surprisingly didn't make her look like a drowned cat but it did make her look a bit mousey. Overall, she'd recovered well enough.

"Only my hair?" Severus was just a bit wary, given the lack of clothing to keep them apart. While he was sure he could physically keep her wandering hands at bay, he wasn't so sure he had the strength left inside him.

Hermione curled in her lips, her eyes flicking into the water that obscured his lower half from view. As he sat, the water was just a little over waist height for him leaving the rest of his frame shadowed below. While a small gleam did flash over her eyes, she did eventually nod her head and lift her eyes away from the water, "Of course..."

Hermione could feel a heat rushing up into her cheeks and though she had on occasion dreamed of touching more of him than what she had thus far, she knew that it was an experience she would never be granted. A slow breath left her chest as she moved from the far edge towards the center bench. Her teeth worried her bottom lip before she looked down into the deeper waters in the center, "Can you sit here? I don't think I'll be able to reach your head otherwise..."

She could, but her chest would be right in his face the entire time and she was very certain that that was something he would neither want nor enjoy. It was hard enough for her to look at her malformed frame, she didn't want to force him to do the same, despite the numerous times he had taken care of her.

"Right..." Severus glanced towards the center of the bath before placing a bubble charm over the wrappings on his wand hand. A small adjustment slipped him easily down deeper into the waters, the level of which rising just over the rise of his shoulder as he settled down.

Hermione took a slow breath as his body moved closer to her legs, her feet widening to take his wide frame between them before she moved just a bit towards the edge. Her forearm had been wrapped as well protected with a water-repellent charm. As he settled down, his warmth ran through her lower half making her lose sight of what she was supposed to be doing for a few seconds.

Severus tried not to flinch when her fingers ran through the crown of his hair, his shoulders so tense you could bounce a sickle off of them. His eyes closed tight as he tried to not let the sensation overtake his senses. How long it had been since someone had touched him so kindly? How long had it been since he had allowed someone so inside his personal space?

"You should breathe...I don't think I'm strong enough to keep you from drowning." Hermione's words were spoken with a smile ticking at her lips. Her fingers slowly untangling his hair as she went. It was still devilishly soft, even with the ash and dirt and she closed her eyes to allow herself to take in every single strand.

Severus couldn't stop the small snort that left his hooked nose or the light sneer that curled his lip as he took a slow breath. His eyes closed as he tried to sort out just what he was feeling. Her fingers were gentle, moving carefully and meticulously to make sure she didn't pull his hair but his heart still thumped rather painfully at her gentleness. It was as though it felt so nice that it hurt.

A soft knock disrupted his thoughts and his eyes snapped towards the door at the far end of the room, "Enter." Severus shifted his hand beneath the edge of the desk so that his injury would not be seen before his brow rose to the sight of blond hair that came through the frame, "Mr. Malfoy?"

"Is...is this a bad time?" Draco tried not to let his unease show, but it was clear on his pale face that something was bothering him to the point of losing sleep. Like his mother, his eyes were darkly shadowed and the shine had gone out.

"No." Severus regarded the boy carefully and even tried to pry into his thoughts but the boy was keen to his tricks and kept his eyes lowered to the floor.

Draco let out a deep breath as he took the seat in front of the desk, his shoulders too tired to remain strict as he let himself lean forward onto his knees, "Mother wants me to remain home after the hols...She...she thinks that...it's too dangerous here..."

"Do you want to remain home?" Severus kept his tone even, watching every small tick the boy made when he spoke.

"It's not my home anymore..." Draco frowned deeply with tears coming to the corner of his eyes, his mouth twisting as though he'd tasted something sour as he pushed the emotion down the back of his throat, "It reeks of blood...Aunt Bella...she's completely insane..."

Severus nodded slowly but still allowed the boy to continue without restriction, waiting for him to get to what this was really about. His promise to Narcissa had been completed but still, the weight of the boy's life was in his hands. He knew his mother wanted nothing to do with this war, that she merely wanted to bring her child home. Safely. No matter who ended up on top.

"She's...torturing people...in the cellar...they...they keep them down there...starve them to death..." Draco turned his eyes up towards the portraits that lined the walls, wondering just how many of them would condemn him if they knew the true horrors he'd witnessed, "Before the term started...I...I helped father...take the Lovegood girl..." Draco glanced towards the man who stood as impassive as stone, he was sure he'd been there that night, he'd overheard his father cursing his Godfather for his interference but he'd not actually seen the man clearly for himself. No, another's image was still planted firmly in his mind's eye. Tormenting him for months with her soulless eyes, "And...I..."

"Want to run?" Severus knew he was baiting him, but he had to test the boy. It was the only way to know if he'd survive this war.

"I guess...but..." Draco looked down at his covered forearm, running his thumb over the mark that marred his otherwise pristine skin, "There is nowhere to go..."

"You would do well to remember just who holds your life in their hands." He knew the boy wouldn't understand his words at present, though one day he hoped he would look back at this conversation and understand just how much he had sacrificed for the boy. How much of his soul he had torn away to ensure that his soul remained pure.

Draco's face pinched as he turned his eyes towards his Godfather. Confusion lined the edges but he thought he understood the danger of speaking any more on the topic. The walls had eyes and he above most understood just how dangerous it could be to speak so freely, "Do you uh...have any dreamless sleep? Madam Pomfrey won't give me anymore and Slughorn keeps a running count of all his ingredients ever since the Devil's Kiss was running about..."

"Yes. Stay here." Severus gave him a dangerous look that he was sure the boy knew well not to disobey. As swotty as he was, he knew to whom to give his respects even if he forgot from time to time.

"Thank you..." Draco took a shuddering breath clasping his hands against his forehead as though in prayer.

Severus grunted in acknowledgment before pushing himself from the desk. He'd taken to wearing his cloak again in the cooler months and it provided him the perfect hiding place for his injured hand. He entered his rooms silently, his eyes turning towards the bed where he'd laid Granger to rest after their bath.

The woman in the bed was still sleeping away, her chest grumbling like a feral dog had taken up residence inside it when she breathed. A possible chest cold, though he would have to run the proper diagnostic spells when he could. While his wand hand wasn't completely incapable of casting, the pain was surely enough to keep him from being too liberal about what he used his wand for.

He opened his cabinet with the same silence and pulled out four bottles before turning back towards the door. A small cough echoed through the room and he turned his head to the sound. Granger merely let out a small groan and turned her head the other direction, another small series of coughs finalizing her adjustment before she went still again. Yes, definitely a chest cold. He would need to begin brewing the proper potion as soon as he rid himself of Draco. It wouldn't do for her to fall prey to a muggleborn illness.

"Here you are, four vials. You only need a few drops it's highly concentrated." Severus offered them out with his left hand, running a critical eye over the boy as he came to his feet; curious as to just what exactly was keeping the boy from rest.

"I understand..." Draco made the mistake of catching his eye as he took hold of the vials and he instantly felt the elder's presence inside his head. Though despite the intrusion, he allowed him to see what he had seen nearly every night since the beginning of the term.

Severus made quick work of the disjointed images. Some of the Lovegood girl, some of Granger. It was an amalgamation of the boy's worst fears and that of reality. He hadn't even considered that he would find any sympathy for either but when he realized that Draco hadn't actually fully recognized Granger when he'd seen her that night he began to understand just how soft the boy's heart truly was.

"I'll just uh...yeah..." Draco cleared his throat before turning towards the door, slipping the vials into his cloak as he went. It felt nice for someone else to know of his struggles, even if he couldn't allow himself to be consoled. It was still nice for someone else to know of the weight that had taken to sitting on his shoulders.

A soft pop sounded just after the door closed and Severus turned his head down towards the elf who had appeared at his feet, his brow raising in inquiry.

"Dinner sir?"

"Yes, two plates."

"Yes, sir. Right away."

oOo

"You need to eat," Severus was quickly losing his patience with the woman who sat across from him, curled into her chair like an ardent child.

"Not hungry..." Hermione let out another small cough and turned her head into the back of the chair trying to press her fever-flushed face into a cool spot.

"You've managed to get ill, you need the nutrition." Severus was trying to be cordial but really she was ruffling all his feathers.

"Mum always said you shouldn't eat when you have a fever..." Hermione crossed her arms tighter around her aching stomach. She felt hot and cold at the same time. Having not changed from her pajamas shirt, she was left in an odd state of hot and cold. With the parts of her body that were covered by the shirt feeling as though they were baking and her legs which were bare feeling as though they were freezing. She wore socks and shorts for modesty's sake but they were growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"An old wives tale, I assure you." Severus pushed the plate just a bit closer, his scowl growing deeper when she let out a deep series of coughs. The potion he'd started before he'd woken her to eat was still not set to be ready for at least another two hours. Problem was, she needed to have something in her stomach for it to have its full effect, otherwise, she'd just throw the entire thing up and they'd be right back where they started.

Hermione let out a deep groan and rolled her eyes at his sardonic tone before looking down at the plate of food. She couldn't even smell it as her nose was stuffed and her mouth filled with the excess. Merlin, she hadn't been sick like this since she was a kid. All she wanted right then was a warm blanket, a cold towel, and a good book to lose herself in, "Why aren't you sick?"

"Because I have built a resistance to the elements by keeping a healthy diet." Severus was unimpressed with the edge growing in her tone though he could see that he was at least getting somewhere. Why did she have to be so stubborn?

"You're insufferable..." Hermione closed her eyes tight as she let out another cough, her hands coming up to rub at her eyes in a desperate attempt to keep the pounding in her head down, "If I eat...will you read to me?"

A bit taken aback by her Slytherin-like tactics, Severus gave her a critical eye before glancing towards the many shelves that lined the rooms. While he had much better things to do than read to an adult who was behaving like a toddler, he didn't see much harm in relenting if it meant that she would be properly sought after, "Only if you eat everything on your plate."

Hermione wasn't able to stop her eyes from rolling when she uncurled enough to take the plate into her lap. While still sitting sideways in the chair she gave him a mocking glare before taking a rather large bite of potato and made a show of chewing it. Her eyes narrowed at his smirk but despite her want to throw the entire plate in his face, she relented to his deal and swallowed—rather thickly— before taking a stabbing a piece of pork.

"There was that so difficult?" Always one to enjoy rubbing a little salt into the wounds, Severus took a deep breath before starting back on his own plate, having already finished a fourth of it before he'd begun the arduous process of having her join him.

"Git."

"Been called worse." Severus wouldn't let her have the last word, as she hadn't earned it, and let out a deep sigh as he relaxed back into the chair to watch her eat.

Hermione snorted, hiding her smirk behind her hand. She'd never in a million years thought she'd get away with calling Severus Snape of all people anything but what was proper and still live to tell the tale. Her previous agitation over the man's aggressive tone in seeing to her meal was gone in an instant and she couldn't help but feel something warm in her heart.

oOo

"There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense." Severus paused in his reading, looking down into his lap where a soft purring could now be heard.

Granger lay beside him, her body curled up under a thick throw as her head rested on one of the couch pillows propped against his thigh. Her breaths were slow and even, with only a soft rumble now on the exhale as the potion he'd finished just before he'd started the next chapter began to work. It wasn't so well into the evening but not so early either that he didn't think she wouldn't be able to sleep through the night, even though she'd slept a portion of the afternoon away.

Truthfully, he was just happy that she was resting and healing and well out of his hair. The familiarity she had taken with him that day had startled him into actually taking notice of just how much of his life now centered around the girl who slept beside him. How much of his thoughts were now occupied with her, and how much he no longer seemed to consider her a burden as he once had. It was curious and concerning all at once, yet he found he had neither the will nor the inclination to ponder its meaning. It was, as it was.

It was in the unguarded moment that he allowed his hand to trail through her curls, gently turning them in his fingers, memorizing their texture. His fingers traced the edge of her cheek before gliding like a whisper along the bottom of her slightly parted lips. Her breath was warm against his hand as he went just a bit lower to pull the hair that had tucked itself into her neck free. How had this slip of a girl managed to turn his entire world upside down? How had he let such a thing happen in the first place?

As much as he wanted someone else to blame, there was no one else to take fault. He closed his eyes for a long moment, his fingers gently resting over her shoulder before he closed the book he'd been reading. As he came to his feet, a soft whine filled the room and turned his head. Dark sleepy eyes blinked dumbly back at him as he set the book back in place on the shelf.

As if under the control of another, he turned to her reaching hand, and without comment guided it up over his shoulders feeling her take a firm hold of his neck before he lifted her to his chest. Her face tilted up towards his own and for a moment he greatly considered pressing his lips to her forehead to check her fever. At the last possible moment, he shifted and pressed his cheek instead, pleased to feel that it had gone down considerably.

Hermione smiled against the bottom of his chin, her mind turning a bit too slowly to understand just where he was taking her until she was being laid down, "Has anyone...ever told you...how beautiful your voice is...?" Her words were thick and dreamlike, filling the air between them with their softness.

oOo

Draco sighed deeply as he rolled onto his side, the curtains drawn tight around his bed. He reached inside his cloak to pull out one of the potions his Godfather had given him before his eyes narrowed sharply. His fingers moved slowly, the dim light of his wand shining against a long, curled golden brown hair that was stuck just inside the slightly dogeared label. With great concentration he pulled it free, his eyes running down its extended length. It certainly wasn't Snape's, that much was clear. The color, texture, and style were all wrong. His brain turned slowly as he turned it in his hold.