AN: Sorry for the delay.

Hermione let out a deep moan, every muscle in her body finally releasing the day's tension. The water that came down overhead was much warmer than she'd thought it would be and she was eternally grateful for it. Their dinner had been a nearly mute affair with plenty of long lingering glances between. It was still early in the evening, just after seven; even still, she felt unbelievably worn out.

Watching after someone was more taxing than she ever believed. While she was no stranger to taking care of others. Worrying about their health and not having the answers to possible problems had worn her nerves thin. As much as she wished to be there for him in every way she could it was still very clear to her that she had much to learn from him.

For the most part, he had taken well to her doting. His comments hadn't held the same bite to them or at least hadn't felt as though they'd held any heat behind him. He wasn't the most willing patient but it was clear to her that he had been trying to make an effort. Whether he was simply too fatigued to fight her advances off properly or if he was genuinely starting to see her as something more than a burden; she hadn't really decided.

A slow roll of her head brought a well-needed pop to her shoulder and she carefully stepped out of the shower. The room was pleasantly warm and she didn't feel the need to immediately swaddle herself up in a towel. Instead, she took a moment to look down her ever-changing frame. While she was mostly pleased with how she'd grown and built muscle, the harsh lines that crossed her skin were still something of a worry to her. Not because they hurt but because the illusion of her childhood was completely shattered.

With pursed lips, she pulled the towel closed and cast a quick drying charm over her hair before looking around the small sink for a brush or something she could transfigure into one. Finding only a weak comb, she turned to try and locate her wand when a sharp pain shot all the way up and down her side. Her gasp of pain was sharp, and her hand instantly went to her bandaged side. She'd almost forgotten she'd been injured.

A small sneer curled over her features as she pulled the towel lower, wrapping it around her waist before she pulled a hand mirror from beside the tap to try and see if she'd done any damage. With the tips of her nails, she pulled away the tape that held the gauze in place. A deep hiss left her gritted teeth as she pulled it free, unfortunately, the small hand mirror didn't really show her much.

Unable to turn to see properly she turned her head towards the ceiling trying to debate on the best course. She knew Severus was just in the bedroom back in bed as standing had been a rather vertigo-inducing experience for him. She'd helped him from the bathroom back to the bed after having given him the privacy to dress himself.

Deciding that the adult thing to do would be to seek his help, she carefully turned towards the small bundle of clothes she'd brought with her. Some sweatpants and a loose button-up, she slipped on the bottoms before pulling the towel back under her arms. There was no point in putting on a shirt as she knew he'd just have to take it off to look at her wound.

"Severus?" Hermione opened the door slowly and quietly on the off chance that he'd fallen back to sleep though let out a small relieved breath when she found him to be sitting up in bed reading the book she had been reading while she watched over him.

"Yes, Mi-Hermione?" Her name felt odd on his tongue, not bad—just unpracticed. It showed on his face as well, making him appear as if he'd tasted something too sweet.

Hermione's lip curled up to the sound of her name, her eyes lowering as she tried to keep herself from smiling too brightly, "I uh...can't see my back could you take a look?"

"Of course," Severus pushed himself up just a bit straighter, suppressing a wince as his head throbbed from the movement, he was certainly due for another headache potion.

"Thanks..." Hermione curled in her lips before moving over towards the bed, her insecurities over her body filling her eyes and—unknowing to her— his mind.

Severus' eyes grew dark as she came to the side of the bed, he didn't know why he cared about her self-worth, perhaps it was all the work he'd put into making her whole again; he couldn't be sure but when the towel she'd wrapped around herself came free and her skin rose with the coolness of the air he couldn't help but notice how dark her scars were becoming.

Severus pushed himself up further when she came to the edge of the bed. Carefully slipping his legs over the side for her to come between. His eyes took on a softness when she pulled the towel away holding it to her chest. The large Pheonix shaped scar catching his attention, it was like a beautiful tattoo, something people would have paid loads of money for. A magical tattoo. His hands twitched to touch it, but he restrained himself by looking down to the large gash that he'd had to put stitches into.

"You've pulled a stitch." He'd only put in four in total, just around the edges of the gash to help keep the skin from tearing. The poison that he'd managed to pull free from her blood had allowed the wound to begin to heal but it was still very raw and raised. Severus called his wand into his hand before very gently running his fingers along the edges of the wound, "Does this hurt?"

Hermione couldn't help but shiver softly, her eyes closing as her response came out as a breathy sigh, "No..."

"i'm going to repair the stitch, you might feel a small pinch." Severus gave the back of her head a pausing look before calling his wand to his hand. He could feel her beginning to tense but there was nothing he could do for her. With a tight purse to his lips, he pressed his wand tip against the irritated flesh and whispered the spell.

Hermione jumped slightly, the sound of pain catching in the back of her throat. She swallowed it down with a deep breath before gradually letting it out. Her eyes opened slowly before she turned her head just so, "Can I ...ask you another favor?"

Severus could tell her voice was tight but he was amazed at her restraint. He gave her a soft hum before setting his wand aside to let his fingers glide over the wound checking for further irritation that she might be trying to hide.

"Could you..." Hermione closed her eyes once more, her brows pushing them shut tight. She knew what she was about to ask was wrong, exceptionally wrong but she needed some sort of comfort, her nerves were barely hanging on and she was sure she was about to have a full blown cry if she didn't have some sort of distraction, "Touch me?"

Severus' head rose to her nearly imperceivable request, "Touch you?"

"You can close your eyes if you want to..." Hermione turned her head towards the ceiling. The room was quickly cooling her frame and she couldn't stop herself from shivering, " Imagine someone else..." She didn't want to tell him what she really wanted, couldn't bring herself to share her inner thoughts so deeply. She knew it was incredibly selfish of her but she just couldn't hold her tongue.

There was a long pause as neither of them knew how to address the issue at hand. Hermione was near to apologizing for even suggesting it when the faintest of touches made her back twitch. She could have cried when his fingertips that had been so light and hesitant at first slowly expanded out over her waist and up her back. It wasn't a massage by any means, merely the feeling of skin on skin.

Severus was cautious with his touch, knowing that her wound was very much sensitive, though while he told himself he was merely doing as she requested he found himself perplexed as to why he'd acquiesced in the first place. What he found more curious than that was why she would have told him to imagine someone else. His previous observation when she'd come from the bathroom returned to his present thoughts and he found his hands moving on their own to very gently take her waist.

"Why would I imagine someone else when you are so clearly in front of me?" His voice as deep, hypnotic as though he were trying to lull her into a trance, lower her defenses so she would just speak to him truthfully. His fingers continued to slowly explore the ridges of muscle, of battles long since won. His eyes boring into the back of her head for an answer.

"I just..." Hermione could feel all the stress she'd built up in asking the question slowly floating away, even as light as his fingertips touched her skin it was enough to chase away the chill of the room. Her arms twitched in their effort to keep the towel over her chest and she had to take a moment to bring some semblance of order to her thoughts.

Severus could feel the tension that had built up in her shoulders slowly releasing, his keen eye tracing the small definition of muscle as it unwound. Taking a page from her book, he allowed his eyes to go out of focus as he turned his attention to the feeling of the goosebumps that rose to his finger's path. The pounding in his head was slowly dissipating, the blood that was pulsing through his brain relocating elsewhere without his permission.

Hermione turned slowly, hesitantly when his hands guided her, her eyes cautiously opening to deep darkness. She had never seen someone look at her so completely before. It was both unnerving and comforting at the same time. Her lips opened and closed as she could find now words to acurately describe the emotion she felt at present. Instead, her eyes turned down towards his lips and she found herself leaning just a touch closer.

He could feel the heat between them growing as she came closer, his hands leaving her waist to ghost up her arms leaving another trail of goosebumps. When she was just a hairs breath away his eyes lidded, losing their focus. His throat went tight when her lips ghosted over his own and despite everything inside him screaming for him to stop he pulled her even closer.

Despite her lack of clothing, Hermione felt completely at peace. His lips were soft yet firm against her own and she couldn't help but gasp softly when he tilted his head. His taste flooded her tongue in the next heartbeat and her feet closed the distance. Her hands coming up to tangle into his dark locks. She was sure if she hadn't taken a hold of him, she would have floated off into the ether.

Severus could feel himself falling into a world of new flavors he never could have imagined. When the bed came up behind him, his hands went flush around her shoulders, tangling in the hair that had come to shut the world around them out. A sharp hiss passed from his lips into hers when she pressed herself against him, and he had to let his head fall back onto the bed to catch his breath.

Hermione was in her own world, letting her entire world funnel down into nothing more than the man beneath her. His warmth, his smell taking her away so far away. Her lips trailed over his cheek lightly nipping away at the bone of his jaw before she used her nose to push it out of her way so that she could run her teeth over the rapidly pulsing vein of his neck. Her hands and knees had come to pin him down, her aggression in her passion strong.

His hold turned tight when she took a rather sharp bite and he couldn't stop himself from snarling in pain, his hands stopping their exploration to pull her free. The fear that flashed over her face when he held her over him made his heart clench. "Stop..."

"I'm sorry...I..." Her words were heavily weighed, tears coming to the corner of her eyes. She had no experience in what she was trying to do. Not gently, not kindly, not with empathy nor understanding of the others needs.

Severus gave her a small look, one that he was sure she shared with him. The pain of loss, the fear of the unknown with only your past to guide you. His hands came up to push the hair from her face, his thumbs running along the bottom of her lashes, "You're not ready for this..."

Hermione nodded her head reluctantly, her eyes closing as she let his hands pull her down to his chest. Her arms that had been holding her weight over him came down to take his shirt in her fists. His arms came around her, holding her tight and safe. Bringing them both back into the world that they had come to know. It wasn't easy for either of them but they both knew, neither of them were ready to take the next step in whatever had happened between them.

oOOo

Hermione pulled her hair tight, her eyes narrowed and focused as she pulled her ponytail taut. They would be returning to the castle today, though she had other places to be before she went. It was strictly a location and information gathering mission. One with a very tight window. She had learned through Severus that Bellatrix was hiding something inside her vault at Gringotts and it was up to her to find out what it was.

"Severus?" Hermione turned away from the small bathroom mirror to look out into the bedroom. He was just finishing putting on his boots.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Hermione came back into the room, worry lining her brow.

"I am fine. It is you who should be cautious." He pushed himself up to his feet, his eyes immediately going to her waist.

"I'm fine, you're an amazing healer." Hermione came to stand in front of him, letting her head fall back to look into his face, "If you want to check again?" Her fingers ran down over the buttons of her coat, a small smile ticking at the corner of her lip. Even though she'd fully dressed for the day, she found herself eagerly wishing to feel his hands on her skin again. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling especially given what had happened before.

"Why do you find such fascination with my hands?" Severus could plainly see her desire on her face but it just puzzled him more.

Hermione's smile faded, her brow turning to one of concentration. It was a fair question, "I guess...I'm fascinated by how a man so strong...so..." She chewed her bottom lip to try and find the correct words to describe him, "Hardened by life...could have such a gentle touch. That...despite how much you despise me...you're always gentle with me..."

"Why would I not be gentle with you?" His voice had lowered, his eyes trying to catch the ones that had turned away from him.

"Because..." Her lips pursed, he'd worked so hard to make her forget, yet still, it was always present in her world, always there just beyond the happiness she struggled to hold onto, "I'm just a mudblood slut..."

Severus' hold on her face tightened, those were not her words, those were someone else's, "Who told you that?"

Hermione dipped her head out of his hold, "I wanted to tell you when you were well..."

"I am well enough." Severus' hands returned to his sides as he strongly suspected he'd have the urge to throttle her.

"Marxan...he..." Hermione shook her head, "He visited me...well...I think he was looking for you but found me..."

"When?" His tone was sharp enough to stone.

"Christmas day..." Hermione swallowed thickly when he pushed away from her and towards the window, "He gave me a proposition."

"And you accepted?" His sneer told her all she needed to know. His dark eyes turned out to the snow-covered streets searching for any shadow that didn't belong.

"There's a lot of time...he gave me six months."

"To do what?"

"Give him the dragon..."

"What did he offer you in return?" Severus tried to keep his fury tightly controlled but it still leaked into his voice, giving it a sharp edge.

"A chance to kill him." Hermione didn't dare to approach, her eyes focused on the strict back at the window.