I own nothing here but the plot, and even that has had some influence from other sources. Enjoy though, please, that's all I ask.

-Chisicet

He stepped back and took her in. Her flushed face, the pain shooting through her eyes, the way she held herself with pride even though he could tell she wanted to collapse. He knew what he was about to do, knew the implications and the consequences, but they had no time to share as he watched her begin to double over in pain. He moved languidly forward and around to stand at her back.

"When you killed him, your soul considered him to be an innocent. Normally when one kills and feels remorse their soul stays intact. When one kills and doesn't feel remorse, Ms. Granger, their soul splits in half, and in half for each time after that." He took a moment to run a hand across her neck, moving her hair out of the way. He splayed his hands out and was slow about wrapping his hand around her neck in a firm hold and pulling her body up flush against his; he took most of her weight then. They both knew he would not harm her, that this was about showing his dominance so Hermione said nothing as he kept talking.

"Your soul is special, it's so pure and innocent itself that when you killed another innocent, it instead split your own soul. I can help you. I can heal you. This will…" He hesitated. "I can heal you Ms. Granger, but it would bind me to you. It can only be done within the first two hours as after that the soul is 'healed' as an open wound."

"What do I need to do?" She was sure the only thing holding her up was his hand around her neck and her back against his chest. He said nothing but nudged her toward the bed. She climbed into the bed and toward the middle. "Severus, please, tell me." He hesitated before shucking his shoes off, pulling hers off in a hurry. Once their shoes littered the floor he climbed atop her, straddling her, placing a hand over her chest where she had been rubbing it.

"Accept my magic into you, accept me into you and it will heal you." He said softly, the stress evident in his face. She reached up and ran a hand across his brow and he sighed at her action.

"Is there no way to heal you too?"

"Ms. Granger, like I stated, it has to be done within the first couple of hours. Mine… My wounds are decades old. Do not be foolish."

She groaned and her head fell back against the pillow. The pain was beginning to spread through her and he took that opportunity to start seeding his magic into her. As he did, he began to undress. The moment he began to feed his magic into her she had gasped, her cheeks flushing and a wave of unknown emotions rolled through her. He climbed off her long enough to pull her clothes from her, not wanting to use his magic for anything but healing her wound.

"Shite…" He spat out as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling, begging whatever god or gods there were to forgive him for the atrocious act he was about to commit.

"Sev…rus…" She moaned out as her body began to writhe on the bed. He knew he needed to move quickly to get the binding started, the feeding of magic would only do so much.

"Accept me Hermione. That's the only way this will work. Tell me you accept me." He cursed himself for the way his voice sounded. Never had he pleaded for a woman to take him in, he never had to; they usually came to him and begged for him to take them to bed. "Tell me, Hermione." He spoke into her ear. She moaned and turned her head, her eyes locking onto his and he could see the turmoil in her eyes.

So much had happened to her in the last six hours that he was surprised she wasn't a crying blubbering mess on the floor right now. He stroked his magic against her, letting it fill in the gaps hers was ripping open. She moaned again and arched her back off the bed, her eyes closing and a hand shooting out to touch him.

"Accept… Accept you… Please…. Severus, I accept you, all of you."

Those were the words he needed to hear. Like some ancient and impulsive ritual all of their own they had begun already and it was too late to stop. Her acceptance was the magical words, not so unlike the chanting they had done in the circle an hour ago.

He let her draw his hand to her, where he began to touch her, everywhere. He moved so he was nestled between her legs, which had fallen open the moment he hovered over her. She was willing and the stroke of his magic against hers was all he needed to have her wet. He almost sneered at how willing she was to be fucked by him, but shook his head. She didn't need this right now. He was boned either way, with his previous masters dead he was a free man now, but with Salazar Slytherin around he would have to tread carefully. Especially since the Slytherin founder seemed to have taken an interest in Hermione herself.

He ran his long fingers across her sides and down to grip her thighs, he pulled her body closer to his and tilted her so that if he moved forward he would be within her. He took one hand and placed it on her neck, repeating the same action he'd taken earlier. The firm grip had her head tilting back and she moaned at the contact.

"Hermione, tell me something, are you a virgin?" He began to stroke his thumbs across her skin and waited for her to answer. It seemed lust was something she was unaccustomed to and she was struggling to focus. "Hermione." His voice was insistent and broke through to her, the sharpness one he usually reserved for his teaching persona.

"Professor…" She moaned, shifting against him. This caused her to rub against his length and he involuntarily shuddered.

He gave a chuckle, for what purpose he was unsure. "You are a virgin." He didn't need to ask, her inability to deal with the new sensations was enough of an answer to him as her vocalizing it.

"Yes… Please… I need…." She opened her eyes and glanced through her lashes at him.

"Tell me." She shook her head as best she could with his firm grip on her neck. She moaned again though as his magic jolted and settled within her.

"How do I help you? I need to know."

"You can't." He stared at her then, he took in the feel of their magic's clashing, melding, dancing around them. He swore he could almost see their auras surrounding them. If he narrowed his eyes and tilted his head just so he could see them. Hers was a beautiful shade of blue, a shade between navy and teal. His was a shade between purple and silver. The way they melded together made the colors change and he was astounded to see it happen. The new color, where their magic's joined, was a deep blood red orange color. He never noticed the change within him though, he was focused on her, so when the lust slammed into him full force he gasped. She was grinning at him then, and he tightened his hand on her neck before releasing her.

"I figured it out. We make a beautiful coloring, don't you think Severus?" She smirked at him and he growled. He swooped down so his face was in hers.

"What did you do?" He bit out. She could see the anger in his eyes, and her only response was to roll her eyes and hips at him. This caused him to moan out as well.

"Told you, I figured it out. You were distracted. Now, it's your turn. Do you accept me? All of me? Tell me, please."

"You are playing a game you know nothing about, girl. Are you sure you want to irrevocably tie yourself to me?" He closed his eyes as he fought off the lust surging through him. "No matter what life we live, you will only want me, you will only have me. I was fine with it being a one way street here Ms. Granger, but you do not understand what you are doing. If your plan even works." He sneered down at her then, letting her know in his own way he found her actions foolish.

"Do you accept me?" She asked again, her voice soft and unyielding, ignoring his warnings. He sighed, resting his forehead against hers as his eyes searched hers. She knew what he was looking for and so she opened her mind to him, let him see she was serious and in no way going to back down.

"Yes, Hermione, I accept you, all of you." He groaned then, as the words passed his lips. The feelings roiling through him new in their own right to him. He recognized them individually, but with the witch they were aimed at and the full force of them had him rocked to his core. Is this what she felt? No wonder she wanted to share this with him. He opened his eyes and they watched as their aura's shifted one last time and changed fully to the blood red orange color.

He looked her in the eye. "Beautiful." The only word he had in his arsenal at this time. He knew then that he had to finish this, the ritual wasn't specifically on a time limit, but his body sure was and he wasn't sure how much longer he could stay hard. He surged his hips forward then, suddenly and without warning. She cried out then, the intrusion painful and yet fulfilling. She wasn't sure what to feel as he worked in her, as they became one. She knew this was the right decision to do as she watched his soul solidify into one solid piece. She would never regret accepting him like this.

"Shite!" She exclaimed as he seemed to hit something within her that had her arching her back and pleasure shooting through her violently. "Severus!" She began to chant his name then, repeating it over and over as he hit that spot repeatedly. She wasn't sure how much longer she could last. They were both covered in a sheen of sweat, his face one of pure concentration as he fought off his completion so that she would unfold first. He picked his pace up, noting as he did the hitch in her moans and watched as, after three more quick thrusts, she came undone around him.

Her face flushed, her mouth opened in a silent scream, eyes screwed shut and hands fisted in the sheets as she began to convulse around him. He lost himself then, as he locked eyes with her. She watched him come apart above her, his thrusting was erratic, and his eyes had darkened. As he came, swelling inside of her, he roared out his completion. When he took his last thrust inside of her, he collapsed atop her and they both could feel the magic settle around them; it was sated and complete, just as they were.

He moved off of her then, turning onto his side and she turned with him so they were facing each other. She couldn't help it when she began to smile like an idiot, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I told you I figured it out. Your soul… it's not in pieces anymore. It's quite brilliant actually."

He sighed and turned onto his back so he was staring at the ceiling as what she said settled into his mind and he could actually process it. He wanted to be mad, he wanted to rage and throw things at her. He wished her could muster up the feelings he knew he should, the mask he used to wear had shattered when it came to her though, and he closed his eyes.

She stayed there in her spot, her head turned to watch him as he thought through everything. She knew she had changed everything for him, she was his wild card. Had she not always been though? The one person he knew he couldn't peg because her actions, while only habitual on the surface, had been sporadic and determined. She closed her eyes, one hand reaching out to find his. When she found his hand she ignored his flinch and wrapped her hand in his, the feeling of completion being absolute, the exhaustion settling in and she quickly fell asleep.

He watched her as she fell asleep, a content and lazy smile upon her lips, the worry creases around her eyes and across her brow unfurling, and her body fully relaxing into the bed underneath her. How he wished she could always remain like this, peaceful and not having to worry about the war raging on across their country. Knowing that from this moment they were bound, forever to be considered soul-mates, had Severus sneering up at the ceiling. How his old masters would be turning in their graves at this revelation. His eyes grew angry though, a cloud crossing them as he thought about how he went from master to master and now he would forever be enslaved by this little chit lying beside him. Would he never have a reprieve? Would he forever now, never know a moments worth of solitude and peace?

He growled lowly, the rumble starting in his chest and moving into his throat the more he thought about what he was giving up, and all because he had offered her his help. How thoughtless of him to have done so. How foolish and stupid could he be? He sighed then, the exhaustive numbness in his body enough to begin to blanket his thoughts as it drug him down into the darkness. He fell asleep holding onto her hand, the feel of her body next to his enough for him to succumb and feel satisfied, complete. All his internal aches he's always lived with in this war of a life, were no longer there, and he smiled. Maybe letting her complete him wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.