A/N: warnings are for OOCness, violence, and mild sexual content.

Three days later, Hermione could hear the sounds of people talking around her. Her head was pounding, her throat was sore and dry and her stomach had a mild stinging sensation. She refused to open her eyes, she was afraid she would open them and see a pair of red eyes looking down at her, smirking while asking if she was up for another round out pointless torture.

She tried to turn over but her body hurt to bad and she couldn't help but let out a small squeak. Her body felt heavy, weak; like it had been hit by the night bus.

"Hermione." a voice suddenly said very close to her ear – she froze, she knew that voice.

Her eyes slowly opened to a pair of emerald green eyes that were looking at her with a mixture of relief and concern.

"Harry" she croaked, grasping at her throat as the feeling of fire shot through it.

"Shhhh, don't talk, you are not fully healed yet." he said while stroking her hair.

Hermione let the tears fall freely, she never expected to see him again. She sat up the best she could and gripped him around the neck, holding him as if her life depended on it. Harry hugged her back, glad he had the girl he considered his sister back with him.

"You scared the shit out of us you know." he chuckled, "Ron didn't even eat until Snape brought you back."

At his name, her eyes widened and she looked around frantically, "Severus" she said, looking to Harry for an answer.

Harry looked down at the ground, he knew he had to tell her his condition but feared her reaction as she had just woken up.

"He's down the hall." Harry stated, "He killed Voldemort and pulled you to the burrow where he and Molly healed your wounds. They gave you a blood replenishing potion along with an entire box of others." Harry then paused and ran his hands through his hair, "Once you were out of danger... Snape fell over and blacked out – he had been hit with a spell right before he apparated you both out of there and he has yet to wake up... the healers aren't sure he will."

Hermione's eyes burned with tears as she struggled to get out of the bed. She wanted to see him despite her condition -- she needed to see him. She ran from the room as best she could, opening doors and looking inside trying to find him. When she reached the 7th door, she spotted him immediately and ran to his side.

He was paler then normal, his face completely relaxed and his skin felt cool instead of the warm hands she remembered. She crawled into the bed next to him and covered up – she didn't care what anyone said about it.

Harry came in a few minutes later with a team of healers behind him along with Molly and Ron. The entire group paused in shock when they spotted Hermione curled around her ex professor, running her hand through his hair as she cried into his chest.

"Did you tell her Harry?" Molly asked.

"Yes and she took off running to him." Harry whispered back.

The healers moved forward towards the bed. They needed to give her a check up to see if she needed any potions or anything else.

Harry, Ron and Molly watched as Hermione ignored them, pushing their hands away from her ... even swatting at a few. They eventually gave up and left the disgruntled witch alone.

Three more days had passed and Hermione had refused to leave his side other then to go to the bathroom. Harry and Ron came to visit several times a day, forcing her to take the healing potions and eat the broth the hospital provided. Her voice had come back a bit more raspy then her voice once was but if that was all the lingering effects, everyone could live with that.

Hermione had been talking to Severus every day and well through the night. She ignored the healers that were telling her he couldn't hear anything – the truth was, they had given up on him but not her, she refused to do it until he ceased to breath and even then she vowed to find a way to breath for him.

As the clock struck 2 in the morning, Hermione curled into him like she had been doing, covered up and closed her eyes, praying for him to wake up. She put her head on his chest and fell into the rhythm of his breathing, remembering the feel of his chest rising and falling.

She eventually fell into her own rhythm of breathing as she fell into a fitful sleep, remembering how their relationship had started.

She remembered being captured as she walked through Diagon Alley and being brought to Voldemort. He tortured her twice a week for six months by using various curses, staffs, intimidation, whips and of course a dagger. She refused to talk no matter what he did and while she did gain a certain respect from Voldemort, he wanted Harry whereabouts and didn't care what he had to do to get the information.

Severus would be summoned to stand by Voldemort while these sessions took place and when Voldemort grew tired, he would have Severus scrape her off the floor and take her to her room where he would stay with her until she was awake and talking.

Severus remained impassive at first and tried to separate himself from her. He didn't want to think of the brilliant young witch that was doomed to die but after two months of watching the her suffer, watching her survive through the torture without even giving them the satisfaction of a scream, he couldn't help but gain respect for her.

By the third month, Severus watched as Voldemort allowed a group of male deatheaters take turns in beating her. The men didn't care that she was female as to them she was nothing more then a mudblood and they beat her as if she was a man. That was the first night she had almost died. One of the men had taken to kicking her in the head, eventually breaking the skull bone with the force of his boot. Her brain had started to swell and put too much pressure in her head, causing her bodily functions to cease. He had quickly put a cooling spell around her head, allowing the swelling to subside almost immediately.

Hermione woke a few hours later and cried into his chest, making him more uncomfortable then he could ever remember being. He gathered up every bit of reserve he had left and comforted her, allowing her to cry into his chest for hours until she eventually fell asleep. That night was when things started to change.

Th forth month of her captivity approached and the beatings were getting worse. Voldemort was growing increasing frustrated at the witches loyalty to Potter and the Order and took his anger out on her with little to no restraint. That month she wasn't conscious once when he was ordered to heal her and every time she woke up, she would hug onto him. He stopped tensing up when she would do it as for the first time in his life he felt needed for him, not for his spying. He would stay with her for hours, stroking her back, telling her how Harry and Ron were doing, pretty much giving her the strength to keep fighting. It was during that month that she reached up and pulled him down, kissing him for all he was worth.

The fifth month didn't get much better and for one Potions professor it became much worse. The first kiss she had given him, he wanted to pull away but couldn't bring himself to actually do it. He felt pity for her knowing she probably wouldn't survive much longer but deep down, it made his affection for her grow. The relationship evolved from there and soon Severus found himself having to take a calming potion before going to the sessions. Every time she was whipped or struck, it made his blood boil and the urge to Avada the person doing the torture grew stronger. After he would leave her, he would go to his labs and muck with the potion, adding less of the strengthening ingredient. Severus was lucky that Voldemort never caught on and by the time Severus gave him his final dose, the strengthening ingredient was almost non existent.

Llllllllllllllllllllll

Around six the next morning, Hermione felt an arm tighten around her and pull her close. Her eyes flew open and staring down at her were a pair of black eyes with a complimentary smirk.

"Severus" she whispered with a squeak and practically threw herself on him, kissing him all over his face not caring one bit if anyone were to walk in.

"How long was I out?" he asked as he tried to sit up, attempting to miss her mouth so he could talk.

"7 days" she replied, "They kept telling me that you weren't going to wake up."

Severus shook his head, "I'm not going out that easy."

Hermione just smiled and wrapped her arms around him once again, inhaling the scent of skin and enjoying the the warmth that was returning to his body.

Llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

A week later, Hermione and Severus were both cleared to leave St.Mungo's. They went to the Burrow first to celebrate their recovery – mostly due to Molly's insistence and spent almost four hours surrounded by the group of rowdy redheads. Severus was ready to leave within the first ten minutes but Hermione kept giving him the look and he stayed.

They ate the feast she prepared and the desert that went along with it before settling down and allowing Hermione to spend time with the people she had been taken from six months earlier.

Once everything was finished, Severus insisted that Hermione come back to Hogwarts with him. She agreed without the slightest bit of protest as she wanted to spend time with him alone without the constant traffic of nurses and friends.

Once they reached his quarters, he pulled her close to him and quickly took her mouth into a kiss. He could admit to himself and her that he had fallen in love with her and didn't plan to lose her anytime soon. They stood in the living room, kissing and feeling for almost an hour before he finally scooped her up and took her to his bedroom.

They had never gone further then kissing due to the danger involved while she was held as prisoner and it was nearly impossible to do even kissing with the constant interruptions in the hospital. Words were not needed as they slowly stripped each other from their clothing and fell into the bed. This was something they both wanted and needed and nothing short of Hogwarts blowing up was going to stop them.

Their love making was slow and deliberate. It was their first time together and both wanted to remember every detail. He thrust into her at an even pace, filling her over and over again as she whispered words of approval and affection.

Her body was tight around him, accepting every inch he had to offer and when she finally tensed and released, she took him with her with a low growl.

He slid from between her legs and gathered her body close to his, kissing her neck and enjoying the feel of her body next to his.

"Hermione" He whispered in her ear.

"hmmm" she asked with a goofy grin, feeling extremely sated and relaxed

"I want you to marry me." he stated, "I don't want anyone else to ever have you."

Hermione turned over and kissed him hard on the mouth before pulling away and looking at him straight in the eyes, "I thought you would never ask." she said sweetly.

Severus smirked, "I didn't ask – I ordered."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Fine, I guess if its an order I have no choice do I?" she asked playfully

"50 points to Gryffindor" he stated pulling her mouth to his once again.

Fin