Hermione could hardly think to breathe inside of all the sensations that were flooding through her system. The room around her was dark, darker than it should have been. Tall shadows hid danger in their reach and Hermione knew they were coming for her. She couldn't understand why this was happening. She had gone to bed relaxed, with a warm meal in her stomach and a man who would do anything to keep her safe.

"So filthy, he could never want you, so impure, so useless."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as a dark voice purred into her ear. Her arms struggled against the bed that she held herself up against. Her wrists pulsing painfully from the restrains that held her there.

"You're wrong... you're wrong..." Her voice trembled against a dark laughter that filled the darkness around her. "He loves me...he-he..."

"No one could ever love you, use that brilliant mind of yours. A deatheaters whore is all you'll ever be!"

Hermione tried to turn her head, but the face she had expected in the corner of her vision didn't match the voice that was whispering in her ear. A hand slowly rose over her stomach and up her chest leaving behind a cold along her skin.

"I was doing you a favor. All this time, I knew it too. You would have been lucky to have me."

"No..." Hermione's heart thumped hard in her chest. She pulled her eyes from Ron's face, distorted by anger and regret, "Severus... Severus, please..."

"He won't help you. He was only looking out for himself. You're nothing but a bed warmer, someone he can control to satisfy his deepest desires."

"He wouldn't do that to me... He's never-"

"Oh no?"

Hermione let out a sharp whine when the hands shifted, pressing into places they didn't belong. Her body was frozen in place, unable to resist just as she had been that night. Her eyes turned up to the creeping darkness crawling over the ceiling growing closer and closer. It was then she felt a body beside her and her eyes found the man she had allowed into her heart resting beside her. She tried desperately to reach out to him. To touch him, to call his name. Her voice sounded muffled and desperate in the void.

Severus jerked awake to the sound of his name desperately whimpered. His sharp eyes quick to adjust to the night, he lifted up to turn to the woman simpering beside him, her arms tangled in the extra sheet they'd added to the bed for winter. He shifted onto his hip, gently but expeditiously untangling her limbs. Her hands came up as though to push him away when he saw her eyes snap open with fear.

"Easy, easy, I have you. I'm here... you're safe." He wrestled lightly with her uncoordinated limbs before helping to bring them back down so that she could see his face. Her breathing was rough as though she'd been fighting in her sleep and he suspected that the pressure to her ribs from the blankets was to blame.

"Severus..." Hermione's eyes overflowed with tears of relief as his face came into view. Her hands that were held in his hand shifting to reach for his shoulders. Using his partially propped up frame, she pulled herself tight against his chest and hid her face into his neck to let out a relieved if broken sob.

"It's alright. I'm here..." Severus ran his hand down her side soothingly, whispering a soft spell to ease the discomfort in her ribs. After which he helped her move closer, running his hand over her back in slow circles. He tried to keep his hips shifted away as she curled up against him. The backs of her shins lightly pressed into his thighs and he lowered his head down to gently kiss away one of the tears that had broken free.

Hermione sniffled softly and tilted her head back into his palm. She needed something. Something real. Her eyes turned up to catch his sleep drooped eyes and she cleared her mind the best she could to press her need into his own.

Touch me...please...my skin...I need...to feel your hand...

Severus tilted his head partially confused by her request but abided nonetheless. She shifted to bring some slack to her shirt and let out slow controlled breath. When his rough work-worn fingers grazed the soft skin of her lower back she couldn't help but grow tense in his hold. It didn't hurt, but the memory of another was trying to force its way through. She felt him start to pull back but her hand stilled his retreat. She closed her eyes for only a moment pushing down the memories and her dream. She needed this.

"Just...do what you were doing..." Hermione whispered into his chest and forced herself to move closer. There was a long pause before his hand restarted its gentle motions. Her breathing calmed to slow back and forth and she felt a strength inside her pushing back the darkness. A soft sigh relaxed her back into the sheets below and she slowly let her legs uncurl, stretching out to rest just in front of his own. She was so close she could actually feel the heat radiating off of him.

Severus kept his touch light as he had previously, the feeling of her skin beneath his fingertips was a welcomed sensation. Of course, it wasn't the first time he'd touched her bare skin, but it was the first time she'd been fully aware and in her right mind; more so, it was the first time where she had actually requested his touch. He closed his eyes and shifted to lay back down. He moved his free arm up under her pillow using it to create a small space for her to comfortably rest her head before he curled his hand up to lightly run through the ends of her wild hair.

The combination of his hand tracing the lines engraved on her back and his fingers through the ends of her hair quickly undid all the stress that had worked its way into her body. He watched with his own sleepy eyes as hers finally closed again, her mouth curling into a small content smile as she drifted back into the land of nod.

oOo

Hermione woke to the light of a brand new day. Her body completely encased in a cocoon of warmth she never wanted to leave. The early morning was fridged thanks to the age of the house. Severus usually woke before her and started the wood furnace before she even had to poke her head from beneath the covers. Though this day, she had woken before him.

She took a moment to simply regain her senses when she finished she found that she had closed any respectable distance that had been between them when they had fallen back asleep. Her weight had shifted him more onto his back her own chest melded into his side. She could feel his hand still just barely under the hem of her shirt, his fingers lax against the dip in her spine. Her legs had tangled lightly with his own leaving one partially over the top of the leg closest to her. She could feel the heat radiating from the junction of his hip before her mind registered what laid between.

A deep blush rose all the way to her ears and with as much skill as she could manage, she pulled her leg back. Severus let out a small grunt and shifted further onto his back, Hermione's eyes instantly shot to his face but all she found was the receding of a furrowed brow. His hand that had held her back pulled back next to rest on his stomach, a deep sigh followed shortly after before his face completely relaxed again.

Hermione let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding and let her head rest back down. She didn't know what she had expected to happen, but that certainly wasn't it. She supposed she had expected him to jump up like a jack in the box, or something similar. At worst she had expected to hear him moan. That thought curled into another and the redness of her face intensified.

What would he sound like? Would he be silent? Would he call her name? Would he grunt? Would he ignore her needs for his own? Would he lavish her? Did she truly want to know? The growing heat in her stomach told her that she did, but the shadows in her mind warned her.

A shaky breath returned her to reality and another natural need was starting to make itself known. As much as she didn't want to leave the warmth and safety of the bed she knew she had no choice. Another loving glance to his peaceful nearly ageless features stilled her worried heart. Pushing those thoughts aside for more pressing concerns she carefully slipped her self off her side of the bed doing her best not to uncover any more of him than she needed to. A final glance at his resting form removed the rest of the worry from her face and she entered the master bath with a growing smile.

Severus woke to the sound of the shower and he turned his head with a soft groan. He had stayed up until the first light of dawn, watching and protecting her rest. His hand had gone still shortly after she'd fully succombed but he had let it remain just barely beneath just in case. He had fallen asleep before she had used him as a body pillow, however.

Now his brain was registering that she had woken before him and that he was laying completely in his back, a small shift of his legs righted what she had pushed out of place he let out an even deeper sigh bringing his hand up to run down his face. He had been so careful to be aware of her needs, her fears, he just hoped it was for the better. He was a patient man himself, his needs were a forgotten memory long lost in his youth. He didn't even dream of the possibility of their relationship progressing further than it had. He was rather content where it was, if he were to be honest when himself. Of course, he'd never deny her but he was- and would always be- more than able to wait for her to be ready.

With that in mind he pushed himself over the edge, he normally showered first before heading down to warm the house and find something suitable for breakfast. Thankfully he had taken his shower last night as he'd just pulled in some of the winter vegetables from the field and hadn't taken kindly to being covered in frozen mud.

A large joint popping stretch finally brought him to his feet and he moved over to the closet to grab his clothes for the day. With winter upon them he was able to wear his coat again on the days he didn't have to be in the fields. His wardrobe was becoming suspiciously more diverse and he suspected that the woman in the shower was to blame. She had bought a fair selection for herself, nothing too closet stuffing but enough for the seasons. Though he'd taken notice that when she had an addition, more often than not, so did he.

Her choices for him were nearly the same of what he would have picked for himself. The sweaters were soft but form-fitting with high collars. Dark colors, blues, blacks the occasional green. The shirts were all button-up in varying shades of white with one extremely expensive looking black silk one hidden in the very back behind his cloak. He'd almost called her out on it when he'd found it but didn't have the heart to at the time. It was nice to have a proper dress shirt, even if he couldn't think of an occasion at present to wear it. His slacks were just what he would have worn at Hogwarts though he now did have a single black pair of jeans. He'd tried them on in secret after she had left one day and had found them surprisingly more comfortable than he believed they would have been. They had quickly become his pants for working in the fields sparing his slacks.

Severus tossed his cotton sleeping shirt into the laundry for a wash along with his matching pants. It was Saturday, laundry day. He only had two sets of sleepwear so he made a point to always have one pair washed and ready. His winter set provided long sleeves while his summer set left him in a tank top. The pants remained the same no matter what season.

By the time he was ready to don his coat the shower had come to a stop. He spared a glance to the door before turning out of the room. He made his way to the kitchen without much thought and set out his morning routine.

oOo

"I will never be able to eat store-bought food again." Hermione hummed appreciatively around her veggie omelet giving a small smile to the man reading over the table enjoying his cup of coffee. His own meal finished.

"Pity. We're out of strawberries and they're not in season."

Hermione pouted for a long moment before shrugging her shoulders, "I can wait." She threw a smile to his raised brow and took the last bite of her breakfast. "Oh! I found out who the owner of the castle is!" Hermione pushed herself from the table with excitement and jogged into the living room where she'd left her bag. She dug through quickly before pulling out a rather ancient looking book carefully from inside. A Slytherin worthy smirk curled her lips as she came around to stand beside him. "You."

She leaned lightly against his shoulder when she pulled back the protective cloth, a large coat of arms shimmered up at them. Made of precious metals and stones. A raven with a stone made of onyx for an eye stood on top its wings outstretched in flight. It's perch, a large quartered shield. The top left corner held a snake wrapped in the infinity symbol, the eye of which appeared to hold a deep blue sapphire, meaning wisdom and rebirth. The top right held a book that was open a golden quill standing up from its pages depicting learned wisdom. The bottom left held an estoile wrapped in chains, with a complicated meaning between celestial goodness and a heavy burden. The final quarter held a crown depicting the royal status of the family. On top of all that in the very center stood the final mark, something Hermione had learned was strictly from the magical realm. An odd eye with a spiral for a pupil stood in the center. It had taken some digging but she had discovered it had been the mark of the seer. The all-seeing eye and subsequently used to mark a legilimens as well. The motto beneath the two silver eagle shield supporters something she felt was very fitting for the man who belonged to such a regal bloodline: ' Gloria et Virtus', honor and virtue.

Severus had heard her, though his eyes had been too busy translating all the symbols and their meanings before truly registered the implications of her words. When she opened the book, mindful of its aged pages, he watched as the writing inside when from ancient Theban to Gaelic runes, to finally romanized letters: latin, Slavic, then English. The pages of the book were extremely fragile and Hermione took immense care when she opened up the back pages holding the family tree. His eyes scanned the page, noting that a green line followed down the path of the firstborn woman through each generation.

"You are the firstborn of the firstborn." Hermione lightly pressed her finger against the page right beneath his name, "The castle and everything the name Prince stands for is yours to claim."

"That's not possible..." Severus traced his finger lightly over his mother's name looking to his aunt's name that stood beside it. The line that marked the firstborn stopped at his own name. "We were...abnegated..."

"Abnegated...?" Even Hermione hadn't heard that word before, her brow furrowed slightly, the excitement seeping from her slowly as she pulled out the chair to sit beside him.

"Disowned." Severus glanced towards Hermione noting that his father's name was not written in the book.

"Why...?"

"Muggle father..." He pointed to the blank space that should have held his father's name.

Hermione pursed her lips tightly, "Then why does the line continue on to you anyway?"

"I don't know...but I suspect there is someone in this very town that has the answer."

Hermione smiled slightly glancing down at the book for herself. Galia's name was on the same line as his own, a child's name written beneath, "I thought you said this was her first child...?"

Severus shifted his eyes when she pointed to the name beneath Galia's own, there was no father listed but he would have to guess it was because she hadn't married the father of her child. He took a slow breath and leaned back in his chair, "This is her second."

Hermione could tell by the tone of his voice that there was more to the story. She curled her lips in to bide her courage before she shifted just a little closer, "What...what happened to him?"

Severus shook his head, it wasn't his story to tell. He watched the small bit of excitement drain from her face before he offered just the tiniest whisp of a smile. It wasn't in his wont to give praise but he couldn't deny that she had done something worth praising.

"Do you have to work today?"

"No..." Hermione's voice was lacking the normal excitement that came with a day off as she pushed herself up to busy herself with tea.

Severus frowned deeper and carefully closed the book in front of him before rising to his feet. He came to her side, making sure she could see his approach before very lightly placing his hand on her lower back. "Hermione, I. grateful for this information." It was the best he could do, that coupled with the usage of her name made it feel all the more meaningful.

"Really?" Hermione turned her head to look into his eyes.

"Really." He inclined his head catching just a flicker of something else worrying her just beneath the surface. She hadn't yet shared with him what her nightmare had been about and he knew better than to pry.

"Do you have anything to do today?" She shifted her stance letting his hand guide her closer.

"Just the nutrition potions for Galia's child. Do you wish to assist me?"

The cloud that had covered her features passed and a brilliant smile broke out on her face. He never asked for help with anything, especially potions. It was as though he'd just offered her the largest library in the world.

"I would love to."

oOOo

"Galia?" Hermione knocked gently on the door frame leading into the small but warmly decorated living area.

"Ah, Hermione." The woman on call shifted from where she laid before the fire on a small loveseat to look around the edge of the arm.

"Are you alright?" She had never seen the woman look so...frail.

"Fine, don't you worry. Just caught a little of what is going around." A sneeze and a sniffle accented her point.

Hermione pursed her lips coming further into the room, the small box of potions she and Severus had made held tight to her stomach. She offered a small smile but it was impossible to hide anything from the woman. When Galia motioned for her to take the chair beside the fire Hermione didn't hesitate. The woman had been a wealth of confidence and comfort since she'd gotten to know her a bit more. A sort of big sister she'd never had.

"You had the dream again." Galia reached out taking the small box that was offered and opened the lid to take one of the potions inside. She gave the young woman a look through the corner of her eye as she took a slow drink.

"I feel like all I do is come to you for answers..." Hermione looked down at the floor picking at a loose thread on her jeans. As much as she valued the elder woman's support she felt like it was all she seemed to be doing lately. Like she was losing the ability to stand on her own again.

"Well, of all the people who there are to ask." Galia grinned setting the chest down on the floor before shifting onto her hip to regard the woman with her full attention.

"I guess..." Hermione let out a soft sigh, falling back into the chair turning her eyes towards the fire. "Can I ask a question about you instead of me?"

"Of course."

"How did you...how did you stay...sane all these years?" Hermione knew of only a few of the small horrors that the woman had to endure under Voldemort's first reign, how she was used by both sides. Tortured by one, and manipulated by the other. Her eyes lowered to the woman's flat chest, a story that she had refused to tell her.

"I chose to remember the good."

Hermione pursed her lips, it sounded so easy when she said it that way. Such a simple solution to a complex problem. The issue was, she didn't have any pleasant memories to replace the ones invading her thoughts. She glanced to the woman resting her eyes and knew without knowing that if she wanted to push past this, she'd have to make new memories. A slow smile and a soft red tint grew on her cheeks. She just hoped he was willing.