AN – I own nothing!

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Chapter 5

Hermione opened her eyes slowly, and blinked a few times. She yawned as she sat up from the bed. Her vision had cleared, which allowed her to take in her surroundings. Obviously, she wasn't up in the Gryffindor tower. The stone walls looked different, and told her that she was in the dungeons.

"Princess," a silky voice addressed her. Hermione's head turned towards the direction. She saw Severus walk in and bow his head down at her. "It is good to see that you are awake. You just missed lunch, but I am sure I can call for something in the kitchens."

Hermione groaned and lay back down. She grabbed a pillow and placed it over her face. Memories and feelings of last night were rushing back to her. Life, how could it be so cruel?

"Miss Granger," Severus called. When she didn't respond, he then addressed her by her formal family name. "Miss Wellington."

Again Hermione didn't respond.

"Very well then," Severus sighed. He didn't know what to do. Comfort her? Force her to eat? Not him. There was someone more suitable for the task. "I shall call for Draco."

Hermione clenched her fists into the pillow, and started to pound on it, directly on her head. She only did this a few times, and got some of her frustration out. It didn't hurt her physically, though somehow she wished that it had.

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"Hermione," Draco called as he looked at her covered form on the bed. he knew that she was awake and was trying to ignore him. He reached out for the pillow, and pulled it off her. "Hey," he greeted her softly with sad grey eyes.

Hermione was in no mood. She turned and huffed, her back towards him. She knew Draco had sat beside her when she felt the mattress shift.

"Uncle Severus went to get to you lunch in the kitchens. I told him to get you some Salisbury steak with lots of mushroom gravy. I know that's one of your faves," he told her.

It was one of Hermione's comfort foods, or feel good things to eat. Draco hoped that it would somehow make her feel better.

"Hermione, I'm really sorry," Draco said sadly as he reached out and put a hand on her arm. He wasn't surprised though when she had shrugged it off. "Tell me what to do to make you feel better please."

Hermione didn't say anything.

"Father's taking care of everything. Dumbledore said that you don't have to go to classes unless you want to. We're all going to your home this weekend after the leaving ceremony tomorrow. Until then, you'll be staying here with Uncle Severus, father thought it would be for the best."

Severus then walked in with Hermione's lunch on a tray. Her Salisbury steak was accompanied by some pumpkin juice. He placed it on the bed and then said, "Here is your lunch."

"C'mon Hermione, you have to eat," Draco said tentatively as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Again, it was shrugged. "Please Hermione. Just a little bit."

"It is best to eat, before you fall ill. We cannot let that happen," Severus stated.

"Please," Draco said again.

Hermione gave in. she slowly sat up and watched as Draco moved the tray closer to her. With her utensils, she fed herself very slowly as she stared blankly at her food. The savory taste of her food didn't even register on her tongue.

Severus watched Hermione eat as he remained standing at the foot of the bed. The witch in front of him wasn't the Hermione that he once knew. Yes, he only found out what Hermione truly was last night, but now, she seemed emotionless and numb. Her amber eyes which seemed to glow brightly before no longer glowed.

After less than a hand full of bites, Hermione pushed the tray away and lay back down. Once again, her back was towards Draco. Draco just looked at Severus as he took the tray away.

"I'll go now Hermione," Draco informed her. "Have to get back to classes." He didn't wait for her to respond because he knew that she wouldn't. He gave her a small kiss on her cheek as he bent over. Soon enough, he left.

As soon as Hermione heard the door close, she shut her eyes. She forced herself to count hippogruffs in her head, not wanting to think of anything. After what seemed like forever, she had fallen back asleep.

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Hermione woke up later on. She turned her head and looked at the clock. She groaned for it was one in the morning. Her stomach then growled, reminding her that she did miss dinner. Finally, she admitted to herself that she was hungry.

As she stepped into the living area, she saw Severus sleeping on the couch. He was only wearing pajama bottoms, which were obviously black. Did the man wear any other color besides black? She looked around the room and spotted two other doors besides the entrance doors. One of them seemed to call out to her, and asked her to enter. Quietly, on her bare feet, she walked towards the direction of door.

When Hermione turned the doorknob, she opened the door slowly. When it gave out a small creak, she caught her breath. Looking back, she saw that Severus was still asleep. She opened the door further until discovering what it held inside. It was his private potions lab.

Hermione's eyes widened as soon as she stepped into the room. On the shelves, there were a number of ingredients that she recognized, but never actually saw since they were so rare—from the blood of a unicorn, to the ink of a giant squid. His ingredients and potions were completely organized. Even the sizes of his spoons and cauldrons were in perfect order. Something then caught her eye.

On the very end of the potion shelf, there stood a single vial. Curiosity struck her all the more when she noticed that it stood far away from the other potions. Being who she truly was, she walked towards it.

She stared at the potion in the vial. Its liquid, clear as water. She reached out for the potion and took it in her hand, allowing her to look at it more closely. When she turned the object in her hand, there was a label on it. It read 'Black Death.'

Death, she thought. Her thumb ran over the label a few times. The painful memory of her parents' death was once again in her head. Her heart ached again for them. How she wished that she was with them… How she wished that she could be with them.

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AN – Another cliffy! Don't kill me… Review!