His body was well muscled, but lean. She could see his ribs, and the peaks of his hipbones, and his shoulder blades stuck up much farther than she'd ever seen on a tiger, or any large feline predator for that matter. She thought she could see the ridges of his spine now that he was moving, but she wasn't sure.

His thick tail hung low behind him, only inches from dragging on the ground. His body moved easily and swiftly. He was without a doubt in excellent shape in regards to endurance and fitness, even if he looked half starved. There were ripples of muscles on his hindquarters and along his stomach and he was not even close to being out of breath. As a human, Severus ran every morning, so really, this shouldn't have come as a surprise.

But in this form, Hermione could see everything. Everything she was looking at now was a direct reflection to what Severus looked like as a human. Of course, it was the same when Severus saw Hermione, but still... this was different. Severus was such a private person. The clothes he wore covered practically every inch of his body, and here he was... His scars exposed, his ribs, his hips, his thighs, his forearms. She was seeing it all, right here, right now, directly in front of her. It was fascinating and she felt like she had slipped through another one of his barriers. She was sure not very many people got to see Severus like this.

But still, she was plagued with doubt. Now that he was in this form, and they could actually converse with one another, would he shut her out? Would he revert back to Professor Snape completely and never return to being Severus? Would she lose the person in her life she was coming to value most?

If she lost Severus, she would be right back to just having Harry and Ron. She loved them completely, even if there was something suspicious going on with Harry and his temper, and Ron was... Ron, but yes, she loved them.

She was utterly pissed at them for almost killing her and for their unwavering hatred towards Severus, but they still meant everything to her.

But Severus was different. Severus appreciated her for who she was. She didn't need to do his homework or help him study, she didn't have to mother him because he was irresponsible. She didn't have to be the voice of reason in his life to keep him from making spontaneous and horrible decisions that put his life and the lives of others in danger. Severus was a grown man, and he knew how to take care of himself.

He accepted her for who she was. Sure, so far who she was was a big cat, but he never seemed to forget who was underneath the pelt. He'd charmed books for her, let her read his lessons, even gone as far as getting notes and books from her other teachers so she could at least keep up with the reading she was missing in class. He never made fun of her for reading or studying too much... He understood the importance of education, which meant a lot to Hermione. She had always been shunned by her classmates because she was too smart, too mature for her age... She couldn't relate to the other kids, so they never accepted her.

But she never felt self conscious with Severus.

She didn't want to lose that relationship.

And she seemed to help him, a bit, too. Hermione wasn't in this just for herself. She knew Severus was alone, knew he didn't trust anyone, knew he was burdened beyond what any one person should be able to handle by themselves. She wanted to always be there for Severus, for him to trust her, for him to have someone to support him in this horrible war.

She didn't want him to lose her. But if he forced her away, if she lost all of the progress she'd made into friending him...

She didn't want to think about it.

So she focused on his large black paws hitting the ground, his tail swinging low, his ears pinned back, teeth slightly bared in concentration, watched in fascination as his muscles rippled over his bony sides, and temporarily shoved the thoughts plaguing her into the deep recesses of her mind.

It didn't take that long for Severus to regain control of himself. He was about halfway around the track when he finished the last touches on his mental imagery and slipped the last memories and emotions into place. He knew Hermione was probably worried. He'd blocked her out, and no doubt she was being typical Granger and panicking that she'd done something wrong.

She hadn't done anything wrong. Well, except slip herself into his life and befriend him like a meddling, good for nothing parasite.

He had to suppress a self-deprecating chuckle.

Hermione was not a parasite. She was quickly (too quickly) becoming the best thing that had ever happened to him, the best thing he'd ever had in his life.

He didn't want to block her out. That's why he'd had to take a moment to focus, to make sure he could remain himself in his Animagus form.

He hadn't been a tiger in so long. Too long. He couldn't go this long without transforming again. He didn't like the feeling of not being in complete control when he took his form. It was too dangerous. A single slip of his mind and all the hard work of the Light would be for nothing.

But at this moment, something else was more important. Now that Severus was in his Animagus form, he would be able to talk to Hermione, and it was apparent she was skilled and determined enough to talk back. It would drain her energy immensely these first couple of times they conversed this way, but she would learn the fine art of talking via the mind, probably quickly given it was Hermione, and then she would find it become almost effortless, and practically subconscious to speak to someone mentally.

This was the next test of their friendship. They were balancing on a thin wire, the slightest shift could throw them off. He did not want that to happen.

Severus was not the type of man to let people into his life. It was too dangerous, both for him and for them, emotionally and physically. But somehow, the intelligent young Gryffindor had weaseled her way in past all of his barriers, the clever witch, and now that she had he was not about to let her slip away. He couldn't make it through this war without some support, and she was all he had.

He brought forth his mental lake; the slow, tranquil, sweeping waves of the water lulling his anxious mind into stillness, calmness.

And then it shifted; Hermione was in the water, and he was too. They were human, their bodies bare, only their heads sticking up above the surface. Around them, their Animagus forms swam circles, their powerful bodies gliding effortlessly through the water, their tails like long rudders drifting behind them.

He focused back on his human form, and Hermione's across from him. The water churned around them from the lioness and tiger swimming, faster and faster. It became harder and harder to tread water. He swam closer to her, until their faces were practically touching, their legs pumping between each other under the surface. He locked eyes with her and willed her to stay strong. To believe in him. To trust him. This was it.

They would either sink, or they would swim.