Chapter 29: What The Future Holds

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The familiar burning and stinging pain from his dark mark had only given Snape a glimpse of the rage building inside the dark lord. The Potions Master had not been at all surprised at his being summoned. He had no doubt that both Dolohov and LeStrange took pleasure in weaving the story that would most likely lead to his inevitable murder at the hands of The Dark Lord. As dutiful as always the gray robes clad Potions Master made his way into the throne room. Per the usual, he kneeled down at the dark lord's feet and kissed the helm of his shredded, ghastly, gray robes and stood before the court of his "brothers" as they awaited his judgement for violating one of the Death Eater tenants. He had gotten a Mudblood pregnant. The very thing an abomination to say the least.

Just as Snape suspected Voldemort cursed him outright angry for the carelessness in getting his wife pregnant. LeStrange and Dolohov took pleasure in his agony of course. Snape had been brought to his knees as the jolts of white hot agony flooded his body. Lucius stood dutifully as he watched his little brother take his punishment for breaking the rules.

Both Narcissa and Bellatrix had been watching as well.

Snape felt the continued application of the Cruciatus Curse it numbed him some as blood began to drip from the tiny cuts that formed along his pale flesh. Snape groaned as he was let loose and fell on his back into the cold stone floor. The dark lord dismissed the others and continued his rampage on the Potions Professor. The pain had been so unbearable that he seemingly blacked out, but not before being forced to thank Dolohov for correcting "his mistake" at the behest of The Dark Lord.

Snape had been held under so long that he ended up vomiting all over the cold stone floor. It was a shameless display to say the least, and one meant for punishment of course. The Dark Lord had not been thrilled about the almost birth of a child with muggle ancestry from among the ranks of his death eaters and Snape was fortunate that the despot exercised a bit of self control.

Bellatrix had been called in. It was the last conscious sound he heard before everything faded to black. Lucius Malfoy had been summoned to take Severus and get him cleaned up. Without hesitation, Lucius did as he was told and brought the ailing Snape back to Malfoy manor. Snape had managed to come too long enough to insist that he be taken back to his quarters in Hogwarts.

Lucius had not liked the idea of leaving him alone, but was happy to oblige if it meant he would be out of the clutches of Bellatrix in his weakened condition. The handsome albino wizard did as instructed and hoped that someone would come along and administer aid to the ailing man. Snape had been half way through healing when he insisted upon returning hope.

Snape's Quarters, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts...

Hermione had woke up to find that she had fallen asleep on her book waiting up for Severus to return. She had a feeling that he had been summoned and tried her best to wait for him, but he had been gone for such a long time. It had been close to midnight when she heard the sound for the floo and made her way into the front room. It had been silent and very dark with the low burning flame from the fireplace being the only light in the room. The bushy haired witch had burst into tears when she happened upon her ailing husband, bloodied and racked with involuntary tremors that seemed a lot worse than they looked at first glance.

"Severus." said Hermione rushing over to him.

The Potions Master had been unconscious as he layed on the floor with his blood beginning to pool around him.

Almost immediately Hermione's logical brain snapped into action and she began the long process of caring for her husband in his agonized state. The young witch wiped away all the blood with a wet wash cloth, some had gotten into his lengthy raven hair. Then she propped him up against her chest as she uncorked phial after phial of potions needed to soothe him.

The pain potion had been the first she administered, followed by blood-replenishing potion and one for sleep. With a flick of her wand she had him undressed and half levitated, and half dragged him into their bedroom. She got him onto the soft mattress, with she knew had to be better for his aching joints and muscle spasms than the cold stone floor.

"Her-mi-on-e." said Snape in a raspy tone.

The bushy haired witch softly stroked his sallow pale cheek.

"I love you." she said overwhelmed by the sadness of his situation.

She kissed him tentatively upon the lips as his tremors began to die down.

"S-S-Sorry." he said.

She nodded wanting nothing more than him to rest.

"C-C-Can't fix." he said.

It was not lost on the witch that he chose small words to convey his meaning with the amount of pain he had been in.

"Shhh." she told him silencing him with another kiss. "Sleep."

Snape's heavy pale eyelids had closed under her direction.

She marveled at how easily her touch seemed to soothe him. The Potions Master's shuttering slowed as she ran her hands cross his exposed pale chest. He seemed to do better with her hands on approach. It made her smile some to think of it as she layed herself down beside him. He scooted closer toward her nuzzling against her bushy hair and taking in the scent of jasmine that lingered from it.

"I-I-I L-Love...y-you." he said with his eyes still closed.

Hermione had been stunned as she layed there unsure if it was a side effect of the curse or if he had really meant it. As if he could read her mind he let his trembling arm encompass her slender frame absorbing her warmth.

"M-My w-wife." he said softly. "M-My Her-mi-on-e..."

He drifted off after that leaving the bushy haired witch to ponder what this all meant for their relationship, if that was what this had been developing into despite the need for compliance with the Ministry of Magic's regulations.

Without another thought Hermione Granger-Snape found herself drifting off to sleep contented to be wrapped in her still lightly trembling husband's arms. Neither of them could say for certain what the future held for them but it was clear they intended to face what was coming together.

In his sleep Severus Snape had tears streaming down his sallow pale cheeks. The bushy haired witch had awoken to him saying the name "Phaeron" and reaching out as if his life depended upon it. She shook him awake believing him to be locked in the grips of a night terror, which given his state upon return from Voldemort was highly possible.

Snape opened his eyes seemingly startled by her appearance and then settled back into a peaceful slumber. Hermione soon followed and all was quiet in the Snape quarters, his report to Dumbledore would keep until the following morning and there was little he could do about the parchments piled upon his desk.

As he slept he called out once more the name of the boy that seemed to haunt his dreams, for the Potions Master had already known what the future held for him and for Hermione. He just hoped she would have the strength needed to survive the coming days.