Sorry for the delay. This chapter fought back like crazy! Thankfully I have amazing friends to hold my hand and help me out. Thanks go to MrsMCrieff for being a wonderful cheerleader and to darnedchild for her beta work. See what I mean… amazing! I also wanted to thank you all for your continued support. I'm really enjoying myself, I hope you are too.

All right, there are some moments in this chapter that get slightly naughty. No sex yet! I promise I'll change the rating and alert you if/when that happens.

After much fiddling and editing (cutting about 500 words), I ended up with a chapter entirely from Severus' POV. It wasn't intentional.

I own nothing except my mistakes. Enjoy ~Lil~

Hermione had good days, and bad. Severus had long ago decided that the curse was some adaptation (abomination was more like it!) of the Cruciatus in that the symptoms seemed to mimic the Unforgivable in many ways. Of course, the aforementioned known curse had to be controlled by a witch or wizard at all times. That was the big difference. Hermione seemed to always be experiencing the effects of the curse in some form or another: muscle spasms and cramps, intense seizures or smaller tremors, coupled with pain ranging from minor to severe throughout her entire body. Though perhaps not to the extent of the Cruciatus itself; a weaker version? Also it seemed to ebb and flow. The pain wasn't the same every day nor was the number of seizures. Or was it weakened because it wasn't being controlled?

The potions kept the worst of it at bay, but she still had to deal with the after effects: soreness, headaches, loss of some manual dexterity, not to mention nausea from the massive amount of potions Severus was forcing down her throat. Eventually he had to add an appetite inducer to help increase her caloric intake because she was wasting away before his eyes. He had no choice, if he didn't manage her pain she'd eventually succumb to the insanity that had taken the Longbottoms' minds. He kept telling himself he was simply, once again, doing a service for the Wizarding World. She was the Brightest Witch of Her Age, after all!

One evening, as she was readying for bed, she asked him an interesting question.

"Why are you doing this?" Her voice almost startled him as he was focused on the small Muggle notebook where he logged her potion intake.

"I'm sorry?"

"Why are you helping me? Why did you volunteer? Don't get me wrong..." She paused, clearly exhausted, it had been a particularly trying day. "...I'm glad that you did. I… I know that I'm in good hands. With you, that is. But…" Then she stopped altogether, she seemed lost.

He sent up a silent prayer for a minor natural catastrophe to interrupt them at that moment, because he had no answer other than what he'd told Potter. He didn't quite think Hermione would accept that.

After several minutes (and no sudden, freak storms or meteor showers), Severus had no choice but to speak. "You were in pain," he said simply. "You've seen enough pain for this lifetime, Miss Granger." He hadn't meant to call her by her maiden name. It just slipped.

She stared at him for several seconds then said, "So have you."

If those idiots had just been able to catch Yaxley, Severus thought. I'd be able to figure this out and make him pay...

He needed to find out how the curse worked, so he studied it and he studied his wife. It was virtually impossible for Yaxley to actually be controlling it, though Severus didn't completely dismiss the possibility. The man was just that sick and very skilled with curses. The wards on the house were nearly as strong as the ones protecting Hogwarts. No one could get in without his express permission and she didn't leave ('leave' meant to sit in the garden for her one hour of requisite sunlight a day) unless he was by her side. Trips into Diagon Alley or Muggle London were out of the question not knowing when or how severely an episode would strike. Hermione didn't seem to mind this unspoken rule. She had been clearly embarrassed at having a particularly nasty attack during a visit with Ginevra Weasley a few weeks after her release from St. Mungo's. He didn't want to expose her to a whole group of people that might gawk at her while she writhed in pain. No, he'd hex them first. Perhaps he was a little overprotective of her.

Protective didn't mean anything… right?

Then finally, one afternoon as he sat in his study while Molly Weasley assisted with Hermione's 'every other day bath' (a line he simply wouldn't cross unless absolutely necessary), he admitted to himself that he was…a tiny bit obsessed. That Lucius (Merlin, help him!) was possibly... right. But Hermione had, against all odds, become his friend, and he wasn't about to let her down. It was a mistake he'd made once before and he'd be damned if he was about to do it again. He was no fool, he saw the parallels between his wife and Lily Evans. He just wished everyone would stop mentioning it and his… feelings. He did not have those kind of feelings for his wife. He was helping her. Of course he cared for her. Wasn't it normal for friends to care about one another?

And so what if he did? What a ridiculous idea! She was nearly half his age and his former student (though, in fairness, he'd taught most witches in Britain since 1980), but nevertheless… it was pointless and would come of nothing.

Turning his mind back to the curse, he went over his notes once again. Yaxley was the key. He had, somehow, developed this curse- this bastardization of the Cruciatus. But how? And...

Suddenly he was pulled out of his musings by the Weasley matriarch. "Severus," she said rushing into his study. "Something's wrong."

He took the stairs two at a time, running through her room and into her en suite to find Hermione on the floor, a terrycloth robe around her small frame, convulsing in a pool of vomit. Severus Vanished the sick so he wouldn't slip, then picked her up.

"What happened Molly?" he asked as he carried his wife to her bed.

"She was fine through the whole bath, then as soon as I got the robe on her and began drying her hair, this started. Did I do something, Severus? I was using magic on her hair."

"No, you did absolutely nothing wrong. The use of magic doesn't seem to make a difference," he said as he pulled vials out of the locker next to her bed. "I've been trying to time these intense seizures for weeks. There's no rhyme or reason." He cast a Body-Bind on his wife, a task that hurt him immeasurably, then forced the first potion down her throat. After the third he released the Bind and saw that her body had relaxed but not nearly as much as it normally did. Something was wrong.

He exhaled heavily and finished cleaning the remnants of sick from her with his wand. "Can you get me a damp flannel, Molly?"

"Of course!" she said as she dashed out of the room.

Severus smoothed Hermione's hair back and whispered, "I'm so sorry, sweet girl."

A moment later Molly returned, handing him the flannel. "Here you go."

He put it on Hermione's forehead then turned to the older woman. "She will be fine, Molly. You should go home. She'll be asleep for a while."

Molly put her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Severus."

He nodded, quite tired of everyone thanking him for simply doing the right thing, as if he were incapable.

"I never… I never really thought she and Ron were well suited. As much as I would have liked it- would have loved to have her as my daughter, they're just too different, aren't they?"

"I'm not sure, Molly. And who knows, once she's cured…"

The woman patted his arm. "You should stop lying yourself, Severus. You care for her, quite deeply I'd say."

He looked back at his wife and swallowed thickly. "Doesn't everyone?"

Molly had started walking towards the door when she turned and said, "Yes, but only you're married to her."

Hermione slept fitfully for nearly an hour while Severus watched over her. This was different. She was tossing and moaning; clearly never reaching a restful sleep. Finally, having reached a decision, he gently woke her. He had something that might (most likely would) help, but they needed to talk about it.

She grimaced as she woke. "Oh Gods, Severus. Everything hurts," she groaned.

"I suspected as much." He took a deep breath. "Hermione, I have a new potion I'd like to try." Pulling a large container out of his robes, he showed it to his wife. "It's a topical pain reliever. Very strong."

She eyed it, then looked at Severus. "Of your own making, I assume?"

"Yes. I've been worried about the amount of potions you've been taking and about the possibility of the curse strengthening over time."

"In other words, you anticipated this."

"Indeed." He leaned closer. "However, being topical, it will need to be applied… everywhere you're experiencing pain for it to be effective."

"At the moment that would be my entire body," she said weakly.

"I Flooed Molly, but as soon as she got home she was bombarded with a house full of sick Weasleys. It seems that Arthur attempted to cook last night whilst she was visiting Bill and Fleur."

"It's fine," she interrupted. "You can do it, can't you?"

Gods help me… "Hermione, I… I'm not sure that would be appropriate." He sighed. "Wouldn't you rather wait for Molly? She said she could be back here in an hour, perhaps two."

Tears started to fall. "Severus, I'm hurting now. Can't you just… I know… I'm sure you don't want to have to… It's just…" She paused as her body shook with pain.

No longer able to watch her struggle, he said, "Of course," then stood up quickly to remove his frock coat before he lost his nerve. He glanced over at Hermione and found her watching, an odd expression on her face. She was clearly still in pain, but she also seemed slightly fascinated by what she was witnessing. No doubt she was taken aback by the sight of her former professor in his less than formal attire. He'd not even removed his coat the night he'd held her as she slept. Though uncomfortable, he wouldn't have wanted to do anything that might have made her feel uneasy. It dawned him that she'd never even seen him in any kind of lounge clothes, since he slept in his pants and always got dressed before exiting his room.

Now he had to touch her. Touch her everywhere.

"I will need to remove your dressing gown." He started to unbutton his sleeves, and once again Hermione was watching his every move. It made him feel disconcerted, but also seemed to be distracting her from her pain.

She glanced up at his face then back to his arms. Is it the Mark? Is it bothering her? There was hardly anything recognisable left of the cursed thing. But the representation was undoubtedly hard to forget.

"Obviously, Severus. Though if you'd rather I did it…"

"No, I'll do it, and I'll place a sheet over you to..." He breathed deeply. "...preserve your modesty," he said before leaving to retrieve a new sheet from the hall closet. When he returned, he covered her and magicked away her gown, sending it to the dirty laundry in the corner and making a mental note to start a load once she was sleeping.

She winced and groaned as he adjusted the sheet, drawing his attention. "Where does it hurt?"

"Well, um… all of my muscles hurt. Like shooting pains in my shoulders and back and stomach. My arms and legs…"

"So… everywhere."

She nodded. "The pain's less crampy and more… stabbing this time." She closed her eyes before continuing. "It's also painful to breathe. I feel like I'm a hundred and fifty years old."

That's ironic, he thought, because I suddenly feel like a bumbling third year. "It's your diaphragm. That's where the curse hit you. I imagine that's why it's worse in your chest and ribs. Also, why it hurts to breathe." He silently thanked whatever deity was listening that she wasn't experiencing respiratory difficulty as well.

Hermione was silent during his explanation, but was twitching and wincing, clearly in pain. "Ah, your hair."

She looked up. "Oh, sorry…" she said and with a grimace, she tried to move her arms up to her head.

Gently catching her wrists, he placed them back at her sides. "It's all right. Let me do it." He gathered up her unruly hair and laid it out on the pillow, away from her shoulders. He then scooped some of the thick, gel-like potion onto his fingertips and… "Okay, I'm going to start with your shoulders. I need you to tell me how you feel: if it hurts, if it's helping...making it worse, by some chance. Though I don't think that will be the case."

Hermione nodded.

"I'm going to have to rub it in fairly hard, so you have to tell me what you can stand, pain wise." He was stalling, he wondered if she sensed it. Most likely not, considering the amount of pain she was experiencing. Taking a deep breath he started.

She tensed at the first touch. Whether it was from the feeling of the thick, gelatinous potion on her skin or the fact that he was touching her, he didn't know. He worked it into her left shoulder first watching her face and trying to decide if she was holding back or not. Her eyes were closed either in pain or concentration. "Hermione, am I hurting you?" It was the first time he had used the potion on someone else. When he'd used it on his own neck the effect was almost instantaneous. It had worked, but he'd had to rub it deeply into the abused muscle. With some reluctance, he put more pressure on his wife's shoulder.

Her eyes slowly opened. "Gods Severus," she practically moaned. "It almost too good."

He had no response for that, though he was starting to regret removing his long frock coat as he continued down her arm. Suddenly he was face to face with the scar on her forearm. Bella and her blades. She was twisted, even for a Death Eater. He'd seen it before, this wasn't the first time, but when he looked fractionally to his right and saw the large slashing scar she'd acquired in the Department of Mysteries, it was almost too much.

Taking a deep breath, he moved to her other shoulder and repeated his actions, rubbing the potion in deep. As he finished he asked, "Anymore pain...up...here?" Merlin! He had triaged numerous wizards and witches alike, seeing them all in various states of undress, but suddenly he was a nervous, weak-kneed boy at the thought of having to touch his own wife in a completely medical situation.

"Ah, my ch-chest always hurts. If you want to… I mean you don't have to, but…"

"I need to retrieve something. I'll be right back," he said as he exited the room. The potion could work for several days at a time, depending on how strong her episodes were. The sensible thing to do would be to apply it everywhere she experienced pain (which was very nearly her whole body). Why did I develop a topical potion?! he wondered as he got a fresh flannel from the linen closet. Enlarging the flannel, slightly he made his way back to her room. "Here, pull down the sheet." He laid the cloth over her breasts.

As soon as he applied the potion to her chest she moaned. His body didn't seem to know that she was simply expressing her relief. He ignored it; he was good at ignoring his own discomfort. Dipping his hand beneath the cloth, he applied the potion between her breasts. He dearly hoped that this would be the worst of it, but there were a couple other areas that had him worried.

Hermione was relaxing more and more the further down he went. With a glance up once he had reached her ribs, he took in her face. She was taking deeper breaths. Clearly the pain in her chest had lessened once he'd applied it to her upper abdomen. He allowed himself a moment of relief. It was working, he just had to keep going toward her…

"Severus?"

"Hmm."

"Your training, your Masters training, it must have included a considerable amount of Healing. Tell me about it." She paused. "Please."

His brilliant wife was clearly trying to distract him… bless her! he thought as he worked the potion into her belly. "You're correct. In order to achieve a Masters in Potions one must first complete two thirds of a Masters in Healing, only then can they be considered for an apprenticeship. We must understand the reason the potions are being made, most of them at least." He moved his hands lower to her hips. When he finished with as much as he could reach, he paused.

"Here," she said.

Forcing himself not to look up, he took the large flannel, that had just been covering her breasts, and placed it over her pubis, then tugged the sheet off, letting it rest at her feet. After a moment he started the application once again. "Anatomy is essential, of course as well as general understanding of diseases." He had reached her upper thighs and Hermione was actually starting to… writhe.

"So, ah, you're very nearly a, ah... Healer, then?" Her voice was breathy and deep.

"Close. Thankfully I didn't have to learn the parts of the discipline dealing with ethics and psychology. Just the physical… things." Things? Bloody Hell! But it was getting bad. The potion was odorless (a deliberate decision on his part that he now regretted) and he was absolutely certain that he could smell her arousal. She was enjoying his attention. Of course, she had been ill for over three months, so it was very likely she was just plain…

He shook his head and continued on, decidedly NOT focusing on Hermione's sexual needs. He was nearly finished, just her calves and feet, when she spoke up.

"You're going to do my back aren't you? It's the worst other than my chest."

How did I forget that she has a back? he chastised himself. Well, you've been so focused on her lovely front… "Yes, yes of course." He finished with her legs then asked if she was well enough to turn over on her own. She said she was and he held up the sheet to cover her bottom as she moved.

He started with her neck, working as much of the potion into her hairline as he could. She sometimes experienced intense tension headaches from the spasms. If she required it he could work it into her scalp, but she hadn't mentioned it, so he moved lower.

As he started rubbing the potion into her shoulder blades she asked, "Have you ever done this before? Massaged someone. You're brilliant at it."

"It's the potion," he answered quickly.

"No, I don't think so, Severus. Your hands… they're amazing."

Nope! Not responding to that! As he worked lower and lower he tried pulling up old images of staff meetings or reciting potion ingredients to distract him from her increasing vocal approval. If he mentioned it she'd feel self-conscience and she'd know that it was getting to him. Just finish! he told himself as he reached her lower back, just above her buttocks. Umm...

"If you can't do it, I understand," she said. It was like she could read his mind. Was she a Legilimens for Merlin's sake?

"Well, does… do you have…" He cleared his throat.

"It hurts. It is a rather large muscle, Severus. But, considering that most of the pain is gone everywhere else…"

"No. No, I'll do it. Just give me a moment." He took a deep breath and then pulled the sheet down. Fuck me… that's a perfect arse.

Severus Snape had been through a lot. He'd survived his abusive father. He'd been the cause of his best friend's death. He'd lived a double life. He'd killed his mentor. He withstood multiple tortures from the Dark Lord and his followers. And he'd nearly died after being bitten by a giant bloody snake. But this… Running a hand over his face, he told himself to focus and get it over with.

Thankfully she managed to remain silent during this application, though the scent of her arousal was much more obvious. It wasn't her fault, it was an incredibly intimate act and the potion was relieving pain and, in that sense, bringing her pleasure. But he was certain that he'd never forget the feel of her soft globes against his calloused hands. Hopefully it would all be worth it and she'd experience some long-term effects from the potion.

"All right. I'm finished," he announced, as he started to leave. "Try to get some sleep and I'm… I need to wash this potion off."

As he reached the door he heard her thank him breathlessly.

The next day, after leaving Hermione's morning potions on her bedside table, Severus Flooed several of her friends before finding that Miss Lovegood was available for the day. He asked if she could sit with with his wife. When the young witch arrived he Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts.

"Professor?"

Severus was standing at the end of her hospital bed, making notes in her chart. "Yes, Miss Granger."

"Would it help at all if you could see the moment the curse was cast?" she asked.

He looked up. It was something he'd considered requesting, but she had given a detailed recollection of the event and he wasn't sure if the intrusion would do more harm than good. "I have thought about that as an option. Yes."

"As I've said, I couldn't hear what he said just before I was hit. It was too chaotic, everyone was shouting. But perhaps you'll have better luck. What if I heard it, but simply can't remember it."

He doubted that was the case. Through the years of knowing Miss Granger and teaching her, he'd suspected that she might have a photographic memory. Of course in times of great stress it's entirely possible that that ability could have failed her. "Has anyone ever performed Legilimency on you, Miss Granger?" She shook her head to the negative. "It's incredibly invasive. Your friend Mr. Potter can attest to that."

"I don't care. I just want to be better." She paused and looked down at her hands. "Also, I trust you."

The statement shocked him. People didn't trust Severus Snape, not really. They used him when they needed his abilities and knowledge. But they did so with reluctance, knowing his past and of what he was capable. "Are you certain?"

She looked up and said, "Please."

Taking a seat in the chair next to her bed, he pulled out his wand. "I need you to focus on that night- on nothing else but that night. I will try to avoid anything else I might happen to encounter."

He watched as Hermione took a deep breath then indicated that she was ready. Pointing his wand at her head he cast Legilimens and he was suddenly in the most organised mind he'd ever experienced. Just as he had asked, she pushed the memory of that evening forward at an almost alarming speed.

Yaxley and his accomplice stood in a dirty alley in what he knew to be Muggle London. He didn't recognise the other person with the Death Eater, but none of the witnesses that night had either. Potter was busy dueling with the second, while Weasley sent curse after curse at Yaxley; the older wizard deflecting them easily. Severus was seeing everything from Granger's point of view and he knew she was casting Shield Charms on both of her partners.

Suddenly Potter yelled after being hit with a glancing Slicing Curse that had made it through Granger's charm. Weasley looked away from his target to his friend as Yaxley sent a Reducto to the building behind the trio. Granger looked up and saw crumbling bricks falling in the redhead's direction and knocked him out of the way. It was too many things at once, her concentration faltered as did her shields. Potter and Weasley were screaming, more of the wall was falling and Granger was trying to get to her friends. That's when he saw and very nearly felt her get hit in the lower chest with a powerful curse.

It was all for nothing. He never even heard it coming. Much like the witch in the bed.

Severus stepped back from the Pensieve and shook out his foggy head.

"Did it help?"

He didn't turn around, just answered, "No. Of course not. I saw nothing different whatsoever."

"Come and sit for a moment, you look like you're about to keel over. I've got the tea ready," Minervia said, guiding him toward her private lounge. Once there she poured the tea she had waiting under a Stasis Charm and handed Severus a cup. "What exactly were you looking for?"

After taking a drink of the strong black beverage he answered, "I don't know, Minervia. I suppose I'm grasping at straws."

"Is she getting worse, Severus?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. Exhaustion was really starting to set in and he realised he couldn't just miss a whole night's sleep without paying the price. I'm getting old. "Yes she is," he finally answered. "This whole situation is getting out of hand."

Okay, that's a heck of a lot of information in one chapter (trust me, it was worse before I edited!). Now we know what happened that night. Next chapter will have more Hermione, I promise! Please let me know how I'm doing. It really does help! Thanks for reading ~Lil~