To love and protect

Sitting on her bed, staring out of the bedroom window, the day was dark and gloomy. Rain had been falling heavily, torrents ran down the gutters and into the drains. The rain flooded the park across the road, normally busy with people was now a lone field and she was alone and cold on this cold and wet day.

He had gone, called back to the dark lord. Two days he had been gone and she had seen hide nor hair of him. Worry began to race through her body, what if he was hurt? Captured? Or worse... Dead.

He had left not long after he had made love to her after their shower together. He had made her come two times, pushing any bad feelings she had about the man far out of her head. She had felt a real connection with him that night they had made love. Almost as if they were one, meant to be together. She had been sad that night knowing the summer holidays would be over in a week and he would be off to Hogwarts.

She had told Remus that Severus was missing, the only reply she got was a shrug of the shoulders and a "He can look after himself."
She felt helpless she could not do a damn thing to help him, she did not even know where he was. All she could do was sit here and stare, stare aimlessly across at the park where she hoped that he would appear. She had sat for the past two days, rarely leaving the spot. She missed him greatly, an uneasy feeling gnawing in the pit of her stomach, she knew something was not right.

She felt stupid that she was pining over a man she had only seen in a different light a mere few months ago. Prior to that he was her teacher and she was his student and that was about the most of it. And now they had become a little involved Hermione found herself feeling for the man, maybe even love him, but he sure did have a special spot within her life.

Jumping to her feet, she was sure she saw something appear at the park across the road. Pressing her nose to the glass she watched as the black figure staggered slowly across the road and towards the house. Sprinting down the stairs she opened the door for him, catching him as he fell into her arms.
His face bruised, his lip cut, stray strands of hair sticking to the cut. His robes torn and tattered, blood stained them, warm and sticky against her.

She wanted to ask him, she wanted to know what had happened but she wanted to get him to a bed, he was heavy. Heavily leaning all his weight against her she staggered up the steps, slowly. One at a time the steps were taken, once they hit the landing she shuffled him into her room and bed, it was closer and she was sure she would collapse under his weight.

She dropped him gently on the bed, a small pained moan escaped his lips, his body shaking slightly going into shock.
"That blonde headed bastard got me with my own bloody spell," He hissed through clenched teeth as the pain swept through his body.
Gently she began to unbutton his robes, pulling them off his chest a large slice trailed from collar bone to the base of his abdomen.
Reaching out she gently touched the wound, he winced in pain. Sticky blood on her fingers still warm, the wound deep.

Pulling her wand from her pocket she ran the tip feather light down the length of the wound, the blood vanished, leaving the wound clean and easier to assess. There was not much she could do for him now, she was no healer.
"I think, We need to get you off to St Mungos."
He snorted "Oh yes, let's just waltz in there and tell them I got this while at a death eater meeting shall we," He snapped. Not meaning to.

"Sorry." She averted her gaze to the floor.
"Go to my room, on the dresser there is a box of vials, bring the box to me," He ordered, watching her leave the room only to appear moments later, box in hand.
"Good good, now bring them here." He sat up, wincing in pain at every movement. Snatching the box from her grasp he fumbled through until he found the one he wanted. Uncorking the vial he drank it in one mouthful. A pain killing potion, brewed to perfection if he did say so himself, as the pain vanished within seconds.

He handed the box back to her, she dropped it unceremoniously onto the floor, the bottles clashed together.
He wanted to tell her off for showing such disregard for his property but he was really in no mood. He was tired, he was hungry and he had little to no energy. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and drift off to sleep. He had not slept for two days.

His eyelids getting heavy, the peace and quiet solitude was welcome, he felt safe, then he heard it. Her voice. He could only roll his eyes beneath his eyelids and resign to his fate of having his ear talked off.

"What happened?"
"Do we have to talk about it now?"
"Well no, but I have been sitting here for two days straight worried sick about you."
He cracked open one eyelid to look at the girl, a small smirk found it's way to his face. "Miss me did you?" he teased.
The girl flushed a shade of red "Maybe," She whispered.
"I just wish to rest right now, Miss Granger." He closed his eye again.

"We make love and you revert back to call me Hermione?" She protested.
"Sorry, Hermione. May I please sleep?" She had a habit of keeping him awake when he wished no more than to sleep. Her name still felt odd to him on his lips.

She gave up on the issue, for now. At least until he was willing to talk to her. She knew something had gone down and she wanted to know now. But it was futile to even try to get anything out of him, not when he did not want to open up.

She watched as he fell into a deep peaceful slumber. Feeling tired herself from all the worry she lay down next to him, resting a hand on his leg. She did not want to touch his wound. She lay, thinking for a while, about him and about her. She cared for him, that was sure or she would not of worried about him so much when he was gone. She knew what they had between them purely a summer fling and that is what made it hurt all the more. Once he was back teaching that was it, he did not need to tell her that, she was not stupid, it was just a given.
Resigning to her fate, she sighed wearily, she would just have to make the most of it before he left. He would leave behind the house, the life he had become to like, the company and of course her.
Those were her last thought before she too fell asleep.

SS/HG

He had been cold and distant towards her since he awoke the following morning. She was unsure what, if anything she had done wrong. He was short and sharp with her, he did not want her to touch him nor did he want to touch her. Every time she has asked him a question it fell on deaf ears.
She had done nothing more than worry about him and help him when he came back incapacitated and this is how he repaid her?

She was confused, upset and furious to say the least as he shrugged off her hand from his shoulder when she made a fifth attempt to just touch him, to feel him. She wanted him, to feel him atop of her to feel him inside her. That seemed highly unlikely. She could not even lay a hand on the damn man.
He was just sitting in the lounge room staring out the window, jumping at any noise he heard. She had wished she knew what had happened to him while he was away. He had changed, for the worse and it pained her to see him like this.

It hurt her to be ignored and shunned like she was just some cheap slut that had gotten him off once or twice.

Severus stared out the window, the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was killing him to push the girl away, but what choice did he have? Little to none and there was nothing he himself could do about it, he had his suspicions when he had headed off to the dark lord that night. His suspicions reigned true

He was interrogated, for two days he was hexed and cursed. He was given the third degree, he was mind raped many times by the dark lord in those two days. He kept his wits about him and did not show the dark lord anything he did not want him to see. The dark lord was frank and to the point, he told Severus of his worries that he was perhaps not loyal to him. In the end Severus had convinced him he was. But he was still uneasy, his best bet was to cut all ties with the order and the girl and get back to Hogwarts. He did not want to cut ties with Hermione, but the only way to keep her safe was to do so. He was unsure what the dark lord would do to her if he had it in his mind that he could use Hermione to really find out where Severus' loyalty lay.

And that is why he was going, going back to Hogwarts without telling her, he would leave in the night, that was his plan.

SS/HG

Gently, he opened her bedroom door. The room was semi dark, curtains opened bathed it in a dim moonlight just enough to make out her sleeping form. He smiled, she was so beautiful. It broke his heart to do this, but really, she would have had no feeling for an old has been like him. He was past his prime. His heart ached to be leaving her, he needed to protect her, if that meant doing a fly by night then so be it. It would be easier this way, for him and for her. She would not have seen the pain on his face and he would not have to see the relief on hers. Relief that he was leaving and she would know longer need to be around him.

"I love you," His voice hushed and pained.
He closed the door, softly. Hermione opened her eyes, stray tears fell down her cheeks "I love you." She sobbed. She wanted to run after him, to hug him, kiss him and ask him what the fuck his problem was. Why was he leaving? Why did he admit his love for her and then just leave like she meant nothing?

He reached the foot of the stairs, stopping for a moment, he thought he had heard something. Shaking it off he turned on his heel with a heavy heart and headed off on his way to Hogwarts. All in the name of protecting Hermione. Two months ago he would not of given her the time of day, now he would have given his life for the girl.

A/N: Ohhh what has the dark lord got planned? It must be something if Severus feels he needs to leave Hermione to protect her... But will it really protect her or only make her easier for the taking?

Once again thanks for the faves, reviews and alerts. And to the people who ask me to post more chapters... Never fear I do plan on finishing this story ;)

Aliasmel1