(Sorry about not updating in a while, but you know how busy Christmas time is!
please R and R, I appreciate every single review I get!)

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Severus winced as a loud, shrill noise brought him back round from unconsciousness. Somewhere from the back of his weary and fatigued brain he thought he realised what he was hearing…

Hermione? Was it really her?

Wait, was he dreaming?

Severus didn't want to open his eyes, only to be broken by the fact that it wasn't her, and it could never be her. But the voice was so insistent that he should wake up that he thought he may as well find out what the voice that-sounded-like-Hermione-but-couldn't-be wanted from him.

He winced as the voice shouted his name once more.

"Who, who is…is it?" the words that came out from his mouth were very slurred.

"Thank God you're awake Severus! It's me, Hermione? How are you feeling? Are you-"

It was Hermione.

Her voice, as welcome as it was, cut through his head like a blunt knife.

"Hermione," Severus coughed, vividly aware of the wound on the side of his throat, "As glad as I am to… to see you, do you think… you could be quiet?" Severus had half-expected her to protest at this. Or at least be the tiniest, littlest bit angry.

He hadn't expected her to laugh softly. He hadn't expected her to place each of her soft, delicate hands on either side of his face. He most definitely had not expected her to ever so gently brush her lips against his forehead.

"I've missed you so much," she murmured, softly this time so that she wouldn't hurt his head again. Severus was in shock.

However, throughout the myriad of emotions he was currently experiencing he could feel also the wound on his neck throbbing furiously with pain. It was a reminder of the danger they where in.

"Hermione, we, we need to go, Now."

She nodded in reply and stood up. "Do you think you can walk?" she asked him, offering her hand out to help him up.

"I'm not that sure if I can even stand, never mind walk," Severus muttered, and grasping her hand he clumsily pulled himself up off the floor. Once standing he studied Hermione's face to make sure he wasn't imagining it. But no, it was definitely her. The same soft auburn hair framing her face beautifully, deep brown eyes filled with relief, pity, shock…Love, perhaps? Severus didn't dare to hope.

"What happened to you?" Hermione whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"The creature." Severus shrugged, not really in the mood to expand. Grasping onto Hermione's shoulder for support Severus managed to get out the cell, but as soon as the pair were out in the corridor they heard a laughing noise behind them.

"Did you really think you could win that easily?" a familiar voice echoed from inside the cell behind them. There was no need to turn around. They both understood who it was straight away.

Severus knew who the demon wanted, and who she was willing to kill to get it…

"Hermione, run!" He pulled on Hermione's arm and ignoring the burning pain that was coursing through his veins they ran through the corridor and into the adjacent room. Severus realised they had been lucky in that the creature obviously hadn't expected them to try to run away.

"Wait!" Hermione cried, and stopping in her tracks she turned around and cast a spell on the door they had just entered through. A strange, black, tar-like substance oozed around the edges of the door and its frame, sealing the creature out of the room, and also shutting himself and Hermione in.

"There," Hermione turned to him, shaking slightly. "That should give us a bit more time to-" she paused, looking around the large circular room.

"What?"

"I, I don't recognise this place…"

"How? Didn't you come through here in the first-?"

"Yes. I know. But, but it's changed…"

Severus examined the area around him, wondering if it was the creature's fault they were now lost. The room itself was made of smooth stone and was completely bare except from a small, inconspicuous-looking potted plant that stood, rather forlorn, at the edge of the room. It was rather odd really, seeing something as mundane as a house plant in the middle of all this chaos…

"Hermione," Severus addressed her while limping over to the little green plant.

"Severus, you should really save your strength-"

He turned and glared at her. "I used to be a Death Eater, Miss Granger; you would do well to remember that."

"Oh, so it's Miss Granger again is it?" Hermione snapped back at him. "Five minutes ago-"

Crash. A sound like thunder rang throughout the room as the only entrance was blasted open, sending dust and bits of debris flying in every direction. Severus, coughing and spluttering, grabbed Hermione and pulled her towards the potted plant. As soon as his hand came into contact with the fleshy green leaves, he felt a familiar tugging sensation at his insides as the room started to spin around them. He caught one last glimpse of the demon that was standing in the arched doorway before the room disappeared completely.

The next thing he knew Severus found himself in a small forest clearing and feeling rather dizzy. Travelling by that sort of method was never comfortable at the best of times. He saw Hermione picking herself up from near by an old, gnarled tree trunk and dragging his badly aching body he went over to her and helped her up.

"Looks like the plant was a Portkey." Hermione said to him once she was standing.

"Evidently." Severus replied rather sarcastically. He wasn't really listening, as he had suddenly became rather engrossed with their current surroundings. He was sure he recognised the place. It was dark, even in the muddy forest clearing, and he was sure he could hear thunder rumbling ominously in the background. Oak, birch, and cedar trees towered above him in an intimidating manner and the moonlight was escaping into the clearing through a gap in the canopy. He felt as though he had been here before, yet he knew he hadn't. It felt almost like a dream…

"Look, I think this is a sort of path over here," Hermione called over to him from the other side of the clearing..

He hadn't actually realised she had even moved. He went over and saw that there was indeed what appeared to be some sort of path. It most likely had been made by animals - or other creatures of the forest. Of course it had to lead somewhere. After a moments hesitation he started to follow it.

"Wait! Where are you going? We don't even know where it goes! What if it's a trap-" Hermione muttered anxiously, following on behind him.

"Have you got any better ideas?" Severus replied while walking, not bothering to turn around. He heard Hermione sigh in defeat and they continued along the trail in silence.

Eventually they found the path turning a sharp corner and following its curve they ended up at another, larger clearing. He heard Hermione gasp in shock from behind him. Severus didn't say a word. He knew now why he recognised the forest. It was the one from his very first dreams. The ones that had haunted him; nearly drove him to madness. As for how he recognised it…

Dead bodies were piled up in the centre of the clearing that stank with the lingering smell of fresh blood.