Severus had grown accustom to having someone living with him. Matilda was quiet for the most part but over the last few months, she had put on weight, gained some personality back and even seemed to be improving when it came to people. It hadn't been easy for him and the last six months had tried his patience, over and over again, but her transformation was worth it to him and despite their very different past, they actually had a lot in common.
He had asked Matilda to go on a date. One reason was to get them out of the castle and the second reason was he felt she needed to reestablish herself to the public. Their date was set for tomorrow night and Severus was actually happy at the prospect of having someone on his arm.
Severus slumped down on his couch and was thinking of where they would go on their date. He wanted things to be perfect and he planned on doing everything in his power to make it that way. He was lost in thought when a small yellow bird made its way into his rooms and plopped down on the couch next to him. He recognized he bird as one from the women that he had sent Blake to stay with and his blood ran cold.
A small folded letter dropped onto the couch and Severus quickly grabbed it and enlarged it so he could read it, fearing what the note would say.
Severus,
The man has escaped. I just thought you would like to know so you can make the necessary adjustments.
'short, sweet, and to the point' he thought to himself. He glanced over to the door when he knew Matilda to be sleeping and sighed, he knew he would have to watch her carefully until Blake was found again. He then went over to the floo and got down on his knees, he needed to warn Harry and Hermione as well.
Oooooooo
Harry and Hermione had been getting closer and closer since she had faced her demons, so to speak. The old Hermione was showing through more and more each day and the nightmares had almost disappeared. Her confidence had improved and her once overly quiet voice had come back to normal. Things were so much better for her now, then they had been in years.
She and Harry were curled up on the couch. She was sleeping on his chest and he was wide awake, watching the fire as he soothingly rubbed her back.
"Potter!" Severus hissed in a whisper. He had no plans on tell Matilda that Blake was running free and didn't want to wake her up with the announcement.
"Potter!" Severus whispered again, only a bit louder.
"Snape? Is that you?" Harry asked as he searched for his glasses
"Yes, Potter, It's me and we have a situation." Severus stated
"What kind of situation?"
"Is Granger with you right now?"
"She's asleep on the couch with me."
Severus wanted to roll his eyes at the lovey, dovey Gryffindors, but rude gestures would have to come later.
"Put a charms around her. She does not need to hear what I have to say."
That comment worried him a bit. Severus generally had no problem saying what he had to say, even if there was a room full of people. Harry quietly cast the charm and waited for Severus to continue.
"Is it done?"
"Yes, now what is so important?"
Severus sighed, "Blake escaped the island. I don't know how and I don't know when but you need to keep closer watch over her."
'Blake escaped the island'
Those four little words. Six syllables in all made his heart race. He had thought about what would happen if Blake did get away and either way it would not be pretty. He was worried that Hermione would sink back into her shell if she knew of Blake. He wondered if the nightmares would come back at the idea of him coming for her. He didn't like this conversation at all, not one little bit, and he had no intentions of telling her unless he absolutely had to.
"I'll make sure she stays safe, and you will do the same for Marilda, yeah?"
"Of course Potter."
Harry nodded, "Thanks for letting me know. I wont be telling her unless I have to."
"I wont be telling Matilda either. Night Potter."
"Night" Harry replied.
Harry carefully stood as soon as the floo had disengaged. He wanted to get Hermione into bed and he needed to make a quick call for extra protection. Getting her to bed was easy enough considering she was already zonked out but making the floo call and explaining the situation to who he had in mind would no doubt make one person very angry and he only hoped Ron would keep his voice down.
Harry went to the floo, asked Ron to come over and retreated back to the couch to wait.
It only took five minutes for Ron to show up, sleep dazed but sensing the slight panic in Harry's voice.
"What's wrong, Mate?" Ron asked as he sat down next to Harry, "Hermione sore at you for something?"
"No, Ron, nothing like that." Harry said quietly, "I actually need your help."
Ron nodded and waited for Harry to continue.
Do you remember the last time you saw Hermione, the way she flinched when you got angry?"
"Yeah, confused the hell out of me." He answered honestly, "I never laid a hand on her and she flinched."
"It wasn't your doing, Ron. I'm going to explain it to you and tell you why I need the help, but first I need your word that nothing I tell you will be repeated to anyone. Less then a handful of people know and Hermione would like to keep it that way."
Ron nodded, "I give you my word, but now you are starting to worry me… What's going on?"
Harry then sighed, "Hermione and Blake did not have a good marriage like many believed." He paused for a minute to collect his thought as he didn't like to remember it either.
"Ron, Blake beat her through the entire marriage. She tried to leave him once, but only ended up with broken fingers and another beating."
He watched as every trace of sleep left Ron's face and was replaced with red-hot anger.
"How bad?" Ron asked
Harry shook his head and stood from the couch. He walked over to a small wooden box on the fireplace and pulled out a small glass ball.
"I can't tell you without losing it myself. I have placed my memories and some of hers into this memory ball over the last few months just so we had it if we needed it. I was helping her at first but I had to stop after a few weeks as I was seriously close to killing the bastard. I can't look at it with you and I have no idea what she has added to it."
"Why would she want to remember?" Ron asked
Harry shook his head, "I have no clue but she says it helps her face her fears, something about making her stronger when she watches it."
They didn't understand and they probably never would, but Hermione knew that each time she watched it, each time she saw how Blake treated her, it made her anger rise and replace the fear. It was a reminder to her of how she was wronged and it gave her the strength to keep pushing herself.
"Give me the ball." Ron said wearily. He wasn't sure of what he was going to see and he wasn't sure he wanted to.
"I'll have a drink waiting for you when you've finished – you'll need it." Harry stated as he handed Ron the clear ball.
Ron nodded and looked into the small ball. It reminded him of the small ball Neville had in first year. The smoke inside turned a dark blue and Ron suddenly felt himself being pulled into the ball. He didn't land like he would have in a Pensieve but instead floated.
The first scene he watched was obviously from Harry. He watched as a bloody Hermione dropped from the fireplace and onto Harry floor. He watched as she was healed by Snape and almost heaved as the glamor was dropped, revealing her bruised body.
The next few scenes were Harrys memories as well. They basically consisted of her nightmares and her all around jumpiness whenever she was approached. Ron cringed when she screamed in her sleep, clawing at her throat to remove the invisible hands. He saw how Harry would have to calm her down and get her to relax.
He had seen enough, he didn't want to watch anything else but the ball wouldn't release him. He had to watch as her own memories whipped through, most ending with her blacking out in the end. Her memories were much clearer then Harrys, probably because she lived them.
He watched in horror as she was tossed around like a rag doll. Pulled around the house by her hair and punched repeatedly like a man would punch another man. He could hear everything she heard. Each crunch made his throat constrict, each crack made him want to throw up and every call for help made him want to run to her and kill the bastard that was hurting her. He was trapped in this ball, showing him everything he never wanted to see and all he could do was watch.
The memories seemed to go on forever and he was sure not even Harry had seen some of this stuff. He watched as Blake kicked her in the ribs, breaking them as he went before slamming her upper torso onto the cabinet and forcing himself inside her. She was dry and the look of pure pain etched into her face.
He saw something in her eyes as Blake raped her. She looked as if her soul was gone, the light that he had remembered was gone and those sweet brown eyes he had fallen in love with looked like nothing more the dark mud. He could tell she had given up in some respect and that got him worse then anything.
Hermione Granger didn't give up, Hermione Granger didn't let anyone get to her but now Ron could see it, he could see that Blake managed to do what Malfoy and Voldemort never managed to do, Blake had broken her. The scene went blank as her eyes closed, telling Ron that she had once again blacked out – maybe that was her body's self defense mechanism.
The memories slowed and he hoped that they were almost over. He felt himself leaving the ball and while he was grateful for that, the last thing he heard was the sound of her voice begging. Her voice was full of pain and fear. He couldn't see the memory but her words were etched into his memory and her voice engraved into every cell of his body. The words were from someone who sounded defeated.
"Please God, someone please help me."
The memories were suddenly gone and he found himself back in Harry's living room, the glass ball clutched tightly in his hand. Harry had actually been the one to stop the memories as he noticed the red anger disappear and the pale white shock take over.
"I-I, He…what.."
Harry only nodded, he knew Ron was stuck for words.
"Do you understand why she was jumpy now?" Harry asked
Ron was numb. Yes, He had been angry that she chose Blake over him but never would he have wished that on anyone, not even his worst enemy. He had abandoned her, scratched her off of his list when she made her decision but what she went through was far worse then any petty jealousy fit he had.
"I didn't know." He whispered
"Neither did I, not until the night she showed up here."
Ron felt sick. He wanted to rush in and hold her, hug her and tell her that he would never allow that to happen again and the other half of him wanted to run to the bathroom a throw up.
"What do you need my help with?" Ron finally asked after he cleared his throat.
Harry sighed and handed Ron a glass of whiskey, "Blake is on the loose again and I fear he will go after her. I will not be leaving her side but I also want someone else I can trust to help me keep watch – Hermione doesn't know Blake is walking around, probably looking for her."
Ron nodded, "He won't touch her, not if I have anything to do about it."
Harry then grinned, "Good, now we need a plan."