AN: Sorry for not updating sooner. I keep getting writer's block and it makes it very difficult to update. I'll try to update more. If you ever have any ideas please PM me or leave me a review and I'll give you the credit for it. I should also be updating my other stories in the next few days. Now remember, Hermione is dying from the curse Nott put on her. Her body isn't able to keep on weight and she looks like Bella from Breaking Dawn Part 1. Another thing is that I know exactly who is going to die and who is going to live. I have also figured out who is killing whom but now I just need to figure out the permanent injuries that can't be cured by magic. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.

Sirius POV

"Sirius you don't have to do this." Hermione muttered, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck, as I carried her towards a small bubbling stream.

"Yes, Sweetheart, I do. You deserve a nice warm bath." I said waving my wand at the water. Steam rose from the river and I smiled at Hermione. She smiled timidly back and glanced at the river. I could feel her nervousness through the bond. When we had made love in the tent it had been dark and she hadn't wanted any light. She had been afraid I would be repulsed by her body.

"Baby..." I sighed looking down at her. The fear was rolling off of her in waves.

"Just –" she hid her face in her sweater. "Don't look – please."

"Fine." I muttered setting her down on the ground. But she and I would have to deal with this at some point. She wasn't acting like herself at all. I turned away as she started to pull off her clothes. Just watching her move was heart wrenching. Her body didn't move like it used to. She used to glide as if she floated across the floor but now her hips didn't move right. She had trouble moving one foot past the other.

"Ohhhh, this feels wonderful." I turned around and smiled at my wife. Hermione was floating in the water, her hair in greasy ringlets piled on her head.

"So how's it been with the boys?" I asked, pulling a soup can out of my pocket. Ron had given one to me before Hermione and I had set out for the stream. I deftly opened it and heated it with my wand.

"Its been – difficult." Hermione muttered darkly her eyes flashing. I raised my eyebrow in question. "It seems like every bad thing that could happen has happened."

"Like what?" I asked. What in the world could have possibly happened?

"You name it, its probably happened." She spat rubbing soap through her hair. I tilted my head to the side silently waiting for her to continue. "Well first we broke into the Ministry of Magic."

"Yes I heard about that." I said, taking a sip of my soup. Hermione giggled at the smirk on my face.

"Well Umbridge had the Horcrux and –"

"What?!" I yelped, almost dropping the can.

"Yeah and then when we left Harry and I got splinched so we couldn't kill the Horcrux right away. We kept waiting for the right time when all of us were full healed. Each of us would wear the Horcrux for a little while then pass it off. It was horrible." Hermione whispered paling drastically.

"What did it do?" I asked waving my wand to reheat the water.

"It brought forward all of my worst fears. Made me dwell on them without consent. Sometimes I could hear voices whispering to me. Saying awful things." Hermione closed her eyes and shook her head.

"What did it say?" I asked thickly.

"It doesn't matter." She said after a long moment. "All that matters is that its dead and we only have three Horcruxes and You-Know-Who left."

I watched Hermione closely as she washed her body but the spark I loved was gone from her eyes. What had that necklace said to her? It had done something that much I was sure of. But it was almost like she was afraid...

Severus POV

I sat at my desk, a large glass of Firewhiskey in front of me. It seemed with each passing day I was more dependent on the drink. Things were bad here. The D.A. was failing ever since the Carrows had found Michael Corner helping a first year escape. He had been tortured pretty badly. I still had nightmares about all the blood.

"Severus?"

"WHAT?!" I snapped looking up at Albus' portrait. My anger was closer to the surface these days and it was driving me to distraction.

"How is Theodore holding up?" He asked before popping a lemon drop in his mouth. How in the world had he gotten the lemon drops... that was my question.

"He is being moved to Malfoy Manor. The original plan had been for him to spend the Easter holiday with the Malfoys he's just going home a few days early to recuperate." I muttered taking a sip of the Firewhiskey.

"How good was the stab wound?" Albus asked steepling his fingers together.

"Not good enough," I sighed. "the little shit is still alive after all."

"How is Mrs Black holding up?" Albus asked the twinkle gone from his eyes.

"Sirius was able to contact me and," I took a large sip of whiskey. "she's dying. There's no other way to say it but she's dying. I have no idea what spell Nott used but it isn't good."

"Maybe I can help." Albus said hopefully.

"Well on the front it was a way of keeping Hermione from getting pregnant." I muttered. The things one overheard in Malfoy Manor... it was a good thing Nott trusted the Death Eaters wholeheartedly. Too bad for him that I overheard his conversation with Nott. "but it's slowly killing her. She will be dead by late spring, early summer if..."

"If what?" Albus asked tears shimmering in his eyes.

"If Theodore Nott isn't killed by someone who loves Hermione."

AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize.