Hermione had made her way as fast as she possibly could towards the safety of his rooms, not knowing who might follow her. Her heart was threatening to explode her skull but the adrenaline of her survival gave her the power to move. A harsh cough preceded her through the doorway as the warm air of the room burned her chest. Her hand fell heavily on the door as she pushed her way through. The normally short path having taken neer ten minutes. It was just as she made to turn to close the door that the fireplace in the office flared green.
"Severus..." Her whispered words barely passed her lips before she'd pushed herself back from whence she'd come, "Professor!"
Severus had barely had a chance to raise his head before cold snow-covered arms were wrapped around his stooped shoulders. His head reared back just as her lips pressed hard into the bone of his cheek and her fingers—chilled to the bone—wove their way into his hair.
"Miss Granger?" His voice was tight, and there was a small cut just over his brow that was bubbling with blood. Overall, he didn't look too worse for wear.
"Of course it's me!" Hermione stumbled back just a little as her heart cracked. He'd pushed her aside, quite physically, "Who else would be in your office?"
Severus could hear the tone of hurt in her voice but he didn't have time to waste on silly emotions. He had only a small window of time to search his stores for something that would keep Bellatrix alive, "What did you put on your dagger? A poison? A curse?"
Hermione shook her head slowly, her hand coming to hold her waist for support as she moved to follow him, "A curse..."
"What does it do?" Severus was pulling out a variety of potions, his tone sharp and focused.
"Uh... it burns the skin...and organs if its left inside."
Severus gave her a somewhat fearful look over the edge of the door to his cabinet. How he'd underestimated this witch entirely, "Right...burn salve..."
"Why are you...?" Her question trailed off when she suddenly realized why he was in such a rush, "You can't. You can't!"
"I have no choice. If she dies tonight, we all die." Severus dropped his potions into a bag he'd pulled from inside, "She's not just an insane homicidal pain in the arse, she's the Dark Lord's ear. Some would even dare say he cares for her, in his own twisted way."
Hermione fell back against the door frame as he passed, his hand running over her stomach making her head suddenly feel light, "You'll return?"
Severus paused by his desk, his brows furrowing when he actually finally looked at her properly, "I will."
"I'll wait for you..." Hermione offered him a small smile, holding her waist just a bit tighter, "I promise."
Severus pursed his lips and nodded his head in reverence to her words. As he stepped into the fireplace, a small but very important observation ticked at the back of his brain. His eyes shifted down to look at the fresh blood that was drying in his palm. It wasn't his own. The fire turned green just as his eyes rose back to the corner where he'd left her. Alone. Injured. Possibly dying.
Severus stepped through to a sound that—if he were to be honest with himself—he found great pleasure in. Bellatrix screamed in pain as her sister tried in vain to get her to hold still.
"Remove her clothes, you daft woman." Snape came to the lounge with a sharp scowl, noticing that Lucius was being tended to Draco making his worry over his memory charm relax just a touch.
"What so you can see what a real woman looks like?" Bellatrix spit at his feet, before letting out another snarl of pain.
"How can you expect to be treated if I can't get to your wound?" Severus pulled over an ottoman from across the room while Narcissa tried her best to help him do what needed to be done. Unfortunately, Bellatrix was even more unstable when she was in pain.
"Get off me!" Bellatrix's blow to Narcissa's cheek made the entire room echo.
"You're worse than a child." Severus pulled his wand sending ropes around the lounge to hold her down, "I couldn't care less what you've got under your robes but if you'd rather die in agony I would be happy to oblige."
Bellatrix seethed against the binds that held her, her eyes closing tight as another round of fire rolled through her blood, "I'm going to kill her! Rip her insides out through her nose and wear them as a belt!"
"Charming visual." Severus banished away the wild witch's clothes, exposing pale scar worn flesh to the dim lights of the room. His brow furrowed at the large growing circle of black flesh and the blood that continued to bubble up through the hole. He bared his teeth as he tried to think of the proper spells all the while ignoring the wild ramblings of the enraged witch.
"What do you need Severus?" Narcissa had her handkerchief pressed to her bloody lip, her eyes bent with worry.
"Clean clothes, bandages. What of the snake?"
"I took her straight to our Lord...she will survive." Narcissa turned herself on her knees, calling for one of their numerous house-elves.
Severus let out a small breath, at least some of the fates were on their side. He'd read in Granger's journal her theory that the snake had been one of the many Horcruxes the Dark Lord had made for himself. As much as he wanted to see the man dead, he could say that Nagini's death would have sent the man on full attack, well before they were ready.
"Bite down on this." Severus made a stick of wood out of thin air and shoved it into Bellatrix's still running mouth, "This is going to hurt."
Bellatrix snarled around the wood and thumped her head back into the chair. Severus' shoulders relaxed marginally to the silence that followed and he pressed his wand firmly into her sweaty skin. With only a glance towards Bellatrix's face, he whispered the spell that would cut away the infected skin and muscle.
He knew he could have knocked her out, he knew it would have been a lot easier for all of them but the sadistic side of his mind stayed his course. His wand pressed deeper as he cut away a large circle of skin around her hip. Narcissa assisted the cut by pressing the newly fetched gauze into the muscle left behind. It was obvious by her face turning green that she was not a woman with a thirst for blood like her sister.
"A little more..." Severus spoke to Narcissa, his eyes only briefly flicking upward when Bellatrix's body gave a small jerk. The pain so immense even she was unable to remain conscious.
"What happened!?" The doors to the drawing room slammed open with furious vigor. The Dark Lord's ominous aura filling the room in seconds.
"M-y Lo-." Lucius never got to finish his sentence as he was struck down before he'd even fully made it to his feet, his body caught by Draco who lost his hold from the sudden shock of the strike, sending them both crashing to the floor.
"Severus!?"
Severus snarled slightly, thankfully the act was hidden behind his dark hair as he pulled his wand up, taking away the blackened skin with it, "We were attacked, My Lord."
"They are children! Children bested my best warriors! What does that say of me?!" A large explosion rocked the floor and Severus shielded his head from the debris.
"It wasn't Potter, My Lord." Narcissa pressed another cloth into her sister's stomach, "There was another. More powerful. We were taken by complete surprise."
"Another?" Voldemort's temper ebbed, but only just as he came around to look at Bellatrix, "The order?"
"Doubtful." Severus glanced at Narcissa for only a moment before taking some salve onto his fingers, "Unless they've started to take pages from our book on Dark Magic."
Narcissa lowered her head as she pulled away the gauze, though she did dare to glance up at Voldemort from beneath her lashes.
"A cursed blade?" Voldemort took another belated step, his red eyes narrowing.
"Yes, My Lord. Bellatrix will live however, it didn't strike deep enough to do any lasting damage." It was a partial lie, she would be in pain for some time but his own intervention had spared the wicked woman from her well-awaited grave.
"Witch or Wizard?"
"Witch, My Lord. Brown hair..." Narcissa had only caught a glimpse through all the chaos, "She paints her face..."
Voldemort sneered and pointed his wand at the prone witch on the bench, "Innervate!"
Bellatrix's body jerked awake with a painful scream that caught in the back of her throat. Her eyes wide and unfocused as she pulled against her bonds. She had only a second to tilt her head down, a salty insult on her lips before the Dark Lord had entered her mind. Ravaging through every second of their encounter in moments.
Severus held his breath, one that could have very well had been his last. He scrambled to orient his own thoughts through the chaos that he was almost sure was about to ensue. When the Dark Lord pulled free of Bellatrix's mind he could feel the weight of his eyes on his head and with all the bravery he had left inside him raised his head to meet his gaze. There was a tense silence where he could feel the Dark Lord pushing inside, rummaging through his own memories, his emotions.
"You have met this woman before?"
"I have heard whispers, My Lord...nothing more."
"And you sought fit to hide this information?"
"I didn't see it relevant at the time..." Severus knew he was speaking with borrowed breath.
"It is relevant now!"
"M-y Lord...I know it to be...incredibly selfish...but perhaps we can kill Severus after...he fixes me?"
Voldemort would have killed her on the spot if he hadn't admired her thirst for blood as much as he did. Daring to interrupt him was a mistake no one ever made twice. Instead, he let out a slow breath through the slits of his nose and pulled himself back straight, "We shall discuss this. If you are hiding anything from me, it would be in your best interest to divulge it then."
Severus closed his eyes for only a brief moment before turning them back down to the now panting witch in front of him. She may have just saved and condemned him all in the same breath but at least it gave him the precious time he needed to organize his memories into something believable. It was precious time he would not waste.
oOOo
Hermione hissed at her reflection, her body turned so she could see the large gash that made its way mere centimeters from her spine down to her hip. She was just happy that she'd decided to shower otherwise she was sure she would have missed it entirely. Her adrenaline had been so high that she hadn't felt a single thing until she'd started to come back down and that hadn't begun until she had started to remove her clothes.
The spells that Severus had used to protect her clothing had done an amazing job at keeping anything she hadn't successfully countered from doing any lasting damage to her person. Even the cruciatous curse that she'd barely been able to dodge had only felt like a mere pressure when it had struck her arm. Thankfully, Bellatrix wasn't too keen on striking in the same place twice or she was sure she would have lost more than a chunk of skin to her blade.
She had thanked all the fates that Severus had left his potion's cabinet open. She'd taken a fair share of pain potions as well as a salve to help staunch the bleeding but she was no mediwitch. She could already feel the bandage becoming a bit soft from the blood that continued to bleed through. Her body was becoming heavier but nearly an hour had passed since she'd seen Snape leave and she knew she had to do something to bide her time.
The sticking charm in place, she turned herself slowly on the stool she'd taken from beside the shower. A few deep breaths rose her head to her own face and she found herself completely exhausted. It was by will alone that she pulled over a washcloth; wetting it with water from her wand, she began to scrub gently at her face, wiping away the blood, sweat, and makeup.
By the time she finished, her eyes were becoming impossible to keep open. Though she desperately wished to shower, she was sure she'd fall asleep on her feet if she dared and thus decided that a proper nights rest in a soft warm bed was the only cure for her current state. Pulling herself up from the stool, she summoned one of his long-sleeved shirts from the hamper in the corner of the room and slipped it over her frame before magically banishing away her slacks.
A very laborious shuffle into the bedroom brought her to the bed, where she crawled over the covers without care. Darkness took her near instantly, her arms and legs sprawled sideways over the bed as her face buried deep into his pillow. His scent lulling her to sleep in seconds.
oOo
Severus stepped through the fireplace with a heavy groan, his hand held tight to his chest as he struggled to breathe. His silver tongue had spared him his life but not his body as the Dark Lord sought retribution for their spectacular failure in capturing Potter. There was no question to him that if Granger hadn't intervened the trap that had been laid would have gone completely different than it had. He was almost certain that the slip of a witch had just saved the entire wizarding world.
His curse of choice had thankfully been the cruciatous. While not a pleasurable curse by any standards, it saved his body from losing too much blood to make his retreat back to the castle impossible. The fury of the spell he'd endured made walking an incredible chore. His legs and arms spasmed with every step but he kept his strength.
When his hand pushed open the door to his rooms he was almost certain his sacred space had been ransacked in his absence and while the thought did spark a bit of adrenaline, the small puddles of blood that led from where he stood towards the bathroom reminded him very quickly that he was no longer alone.
Like a kick to the arse by a full bred mule. He pushed himself through the frame, suddenly re-energized he followed the path of the discarded cloak, potion vials, and blood to the center of the room before having a mind to look towards the bed. What he saw made his heart beat just a bit harder in his chest.
"Miss Granger?" The woman on the bed did not stir to his call, her body laid flat over the sheets all he could make out through their softness was the very slow rise and fall of her back. It was enough to keep his thoughts somewhat straight as he turned his body towards her. As he neared, he could make out a dark stain that had spread out over his stolen shirt.
"Miss Granger?" He had known she'd been injured he just hadn't wanted to admit to himself that he'd chosen the witch who'd done the deed over her.
A low groan passed her lips before her head slowly rolled towards him, her brows furrowing. Taking it as a good sign, he pushed himself up onto the platform before taking a cautious seat on the edge of the bed. His hand was heavy with a small tremor as he pushed her hair back from her face and neck before he pressed two fingers into her pulse. Slow, but steady.
"Professor...?"
"Yes...it's me..."
"I...I waited..." Hermione dragged her hands that had fallen beside her head slowly down towards her chest, raising her heavy head with even heavier eyes, "Are...are you alright?"
"I'll be fine..." His hand ran down the center of her back, "Where are you hurt?"
"My lower back...I tried to...but I'm not so good..." Hermione let her head fall back down, her eyes lazily turning towards his face.
"Let me look..." Severus could see where she was hurt, but having her speak to him was more comfort than any diagnostic spell.
"Mm..." Hermione let out a slow breath relaxing back down as the shirt she'd been wearing came away.
Severus was quite sure he'd seen enough blood to last him a lifetime, even still he knew he needed to make penance for having left her to fend for herself. When he lifted away the gauze, he could see the remains of the blood clotting salve she'd tried to use and found himself puzzled as to why her wound was still bleeding. He was very sure it had nothing to do with the quality of his brewing and knew he'd have to look for the cause elsewhere.
Hermione let out a small moan when his hands ran up her sides, what he was checking for she couldn't be sure but she didn't resist when he pushed her arms up near her head, his fingers moving under her arms. A small giggle tickled the back of her throat when he pressed his fingers into the crease but she did her best to stay still.
Severus pressed his fingers carefully, trying to feel if her lymph nodes were swollen, though her squirming made it somewhat difficult and the small trimmer in his hands made him unsure, he could definitely feel something. A poison perhaps? He'd give her a bezoar to be sure, he wouldn't put it past Bellatrix to put something on her blade to make her opponents suffer.
"I need you to sit up, I'm going to give you a bezoar."
"But I was cut..." Hermione didn't even think about her nudity as she heavily pushed herself onto her side.
"I'm aware, but the salve to staunch the bleeding isn't working as it should." Severus could feel a small flush rising over his cheeks at her complete lack of modesty in his presence. A reaction he wasn't even sure he was aware of making until it had happened.
"Oh...I see..." Hermione grinned ever just so as he pushed himself off of the bed. She licked her bottom lip slowly more than aware of what her shift had done to him. It was the first human reaction she'd gotten out of him since their time together. It was...interesting.
"What other potions did you take?" Severus called the bottles that she'd dislodged from the floor and back into their proper places while he pulled out a small jar of bezoars.
"Uh...green one, three of the little blood replenishers and a-uh pain reliever..." She couldn't remember all their names at present, her mind stuck on his reaction to her nudity and what promise that might hold for them in the future.
Severus gave her a raised brow at her lack of eloquence but didn't press it for now. He took out an orange potion for himself, taking the entire lot down in one hard cough of a swallow. A hard shake rolled down his frame before he could feel his control returning to his limbs. It was temporary of course but it would get him through the worst of it.
"Here." Severus offered out the bezoar before turning towards the bathroom to get more gauze. The small droplets of blood that had led there had become larger over the cream tiles before creating a rather large pool where she must have sat for a long while. He would have never admitted it to anyone how much it pained him to see it, he couldn't even raise his own eyes to his reflection.
A sharp turn brought him to his medicine cabinet where he pulled out everything he would need to get her through the night. He just hoped the bezoar did its job. Bellatrix wasn't a master of potions by any means but she knew many of those who dwelled in the dark and she was never denied.
Hermione gave him a soft smile on his return. She'd managed to pull some of the blankets up around her chest and make it onto her good side. Her eyes followed him as her stomach grew warm, dressed only in her knickers she wanted to feel well over observed but his eyes hardly felt lecherous.
"I missed you..."
Severus' brow rose as he leaned over her bent legs to pull the useless gauze away, "I read to you every night."
"I know...but...I didn't get to actually see you..." Hermione jumped slightly when he cleaned away some of the salve, "Or feel you...or smell you..." Hermione bit her bottom lip biting back a small hiss when he pressed his wand into the beginning of her wound.
"You speak as if I matter to you." Severus had no excuse for why his tongue suddenly felt loose.
"You do." Hermione rolled herself out of his grip, her jaw hard, "You matter."
"Roll over."
"Not until you look at me." Hermione held her ground even when he took hold of her side to forcibly turn her.
Severus snarled slightly before raising his eyes, his filled with emotion too painful for him to even begin to acknowledge, "You're getting blood on the sheets."
"I don't care." Hermione pushed herself up slowly, the blanket she'd used to shield herself slowly falling away. Her hands rose taking hold of his cheeks to force him not to look away from her, "I missed you. You. Severus Snape. Why is that so wrong?"
Severus could not give her an answer. Not one that she wouldn't easily see through to his self-loathing. How he wanted to show her all his mistakes, all his missteps just to make her see what a horrible man he truly was. How woefully pathetic of a self-serving man he was. He was sure she would long bleed out before he could ever finish.
Hermione's face twitched with deep sadness, so much hidden behind those dark eyes of his. Would she ever come to know? Would he ever find the bravery inside himself to tell her? Tell her, so that she could wash away all his fears? Could she ever have so much sway over a man such as he? So deeply seated in the throne of agony?
Her forehead pressed firmly against his as she pulled him closer, her lips ghosting over his for a brief second before her words wisped between them, "I want to kiss you so badly..." Her eyes fluttered, their lashes brushing, "I know...I shouldn't...that you wouldn't want me to...but...that's all I want to do right now..."
Her breath smelled sweet on his tongue, his mouth opening to object her soft request. He knew that if he would allow her this one mercy that the entire balance of their relationship would change. His eyes opened just in time to watch hers close, her hands that had held his head so tightly losing their strength. His hands that had been supporting himself in the hunched position caught her inches from the bed, her head falling into the palm of his hand as he laid her down.
An angel come to earth, forged in the fires of hell and washed with blood.