When Severus woke, he found he was alone on the couch, a blanket draped over him. He groaned, bringing a hand up to his head, which was pounding with an intense headache. He sat up, a wave a nausea momentarily twisting his gut and blurring his vision before his stomach quieted and the room before him stilled, allowing him to look around.

Hermione was sitting in his recliner, feet tucked up underneath her, totally engrossed in a heavy tome. Severus watched her for a moment as he fought to suppress the aching pain of his body nagging him to return to sleep. Her brows were knit over her forehead, and she was biting her lip. One of her fingers tapped on the edge of the book. Her hair was collected in a bushy ponytail, draped over her left shoulder. She seemed to have collected fresh clothes from her room in Gryffindor Tower, because she was wearing a loose grey sweater and dark blue jeans. He could smell the scent of fresh violet and vanilla from where he sat.

"How long have I been out?" He asked, his deep voice hoarse and raspy, causing him to frown in disgust.

Hermione jumped in alarm, completely startled, the book flying from her hand to land sprawled a few feet away on the floor. She brought one hand to her chest, the other to her forehead, sweeping back loose strands of curly hair from where they dangled in front of her eyes.

"Good Merlin, you scared me!" She exclaimed, eyes wide. Severus massaged his throat, and cleared it, before responding, his voice slightly stronger,

"My apologies."

"No, it's fine, sorry, I just... You, know. Books. Reading." Her voice was shaking slightly, and she giggled nervously. Severus nodded, then planted his hands down onto the couch to push himself up. He needed to retrieve some potions.

"No, stay! I'll get you some tea with honey if you'd like?" Hermione said quickly, rising and moving towards the kitchen. "It'll help with your throat," She added as she passed, giving him a small smile.

"Yes, I know." He drawled, raising an eyebrow at her. "I am a Potions Master."

"Oh, yeah, of course! Sorry," She ducked her head sheepishly and continued past him. He most definitely was not watching her body move as she walked.

"It's alright, Hermione. Stop apologizing, it's unbecoming." He said, leaning back into the couch with a sigh. He would just summon the potions he needed. The couch was far too comfortable to leave before he needed too, and for the moment, he did not mind Hermione's assistance. He was sure he would regret being doted on once his head cleared, but for now, he'd accept it.

Hermione returned a few minutes later, eyeing the empty bottles lined up on the table in front of him as she handed him the cup of tea. She had made herself one, too, and settled back down in the recliner, taking a sip of it. Severus followed suit, momentarily closing his eyes in relief as the warm honey coated and soothed his throat.

"May I ask what put you in such a state?" Hermione asked softly over the rim of her cup. He glanced at her, his heart beating faster despite himself, and he scowled.

"Mm. Albus had me check Potter and Weasley for the curse." His voice was stronger already, and he took another sip of the tea.

"What? Did they have it?"

"No. Neither of them did."

"Why... Why did it have such an affect on you?" She asked, eyebrows arched, her eyes tender with obvious concern, but also alight with curiosity. Severus finished his cup of tea, having no interest in nursing it, and set the cup down on the table in front of him. He stretched subtly, rubbed the back of his neck, and stood. He looked down at himself, surprised at his lack of clothing. He had on merely his white button up and his trousers.

She must have seen the look on his face, because she tucked up her knees tighter to her body and said,

"You were sweating... I removed your heavier clothes and cast a drying charm on you so you wouldn't catch cold..."

Severus turned away from her, should his face betray even the slightest affect her expression of concern had on him. He straightened his spine, and smoothed the wrinkles on the arm of his shirt.

"Thank you." He said, pleased that his voice sounded as it should, hard and intense. No sign of emotion. He turned back around.

"Now, as far as your question; It requires an immense amount of magic in order to bring up the visualization of another's magical strands, and to search as thoroughly as I did through them. I exhausted myself, magically and mentally, which is not an easy feat, but had I not, I would have been forced to do it twice." Severus paused, his hands balling into fists at his sides. He stood for a moment, getting the frustration and anger rising in him under control, before he continued. He flatted his hands against his thighs.

"I found nothing, and returned here immediately. Time and rest are the only real cures to magical strain, but the potions, and tea, have helped to take the edge off the adverse affects."

His eyes were cold, his voice steady, but Hermione could hear the irritation hidden in his drawl. She may not have sensitive ears any longer, but she had become accustomed to the extra insight they brought, and found she was still able to pick up on the more subtle cues he tried so hard to hide.

"Has your magic already returned fully?" She questioned. His expression was trained to a blank stare, and he replied,

"It will be in a few hours. While I was initially drained almost completely and left effectively incapacitated, my magic began to strengthen and replenish as soon as I stopped exerting it. Had I continued to push my limits, I would still be unconscious. There are different levels of magic depletion; mine was not so severe as it may have seemed to you when I returned."

Hermione thought back to his stumbling, sweating self, his slurred speech and lack of awareness.

"I'm glad... I was really worried. You were completely exhausted, and I had no idea what'd happened. Do you remember any of it at all?"

His answer was delayed a second too long, when he said shortly,

"No."

Hermione held his eye, and he cleared his throat, then moved to pace in front of the fireplace.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, eyes locked on his long, angular body. His shirt was fit closely to his narrow frame, and she could see the outline of his hipbones, and the slight ridges of his rib cage through the thin white fabric. His long legs swung without effort, his sock clad feet hit the floor with soft precision. Her eyes trailed up his body, moving over the large, bony hands clasped behind his back, the long, delicate fingers that curled over one another, and to the collarbones that stuck out of his chest, causing his shirt to drape slightly over his hollow chest. His protruding Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, straining through the pale white skin of his throat. His jaw was not broad, but his jawline was clearly defined, and it was clenched, pale blue veins popping like snaking rivers from under his skin. His cheekbones were sharp and his cheeks were hollow and sallow beneath them. She took in his arched, hooked nose; noble and Roman in appearance, though he typically used it as a tool of intimidation when he angled it down towards his quaking students, his sharp eyes narrowed harshly on either side. He took the phrase "look down one's nose" to a whole new level. His lips were pale, and thin, pressed together, and she wondered what they'd be like to -

She forced herself to stop that train of thought immediately before she got any crazy ideas, and to halt in her staring, surprised when she realized he hadn't even noticed.

"Severus?" She asked, raising her voice slightly. She stood and took a few steps towards him. He stopped and glanced at her, his eyes unfocused, then looked at her again and she saw the recognition in his eyes.

"Yes?" He asked.

"What is it?"

"What's what?" He replied, eyes narrowing. Hermione sighed and raised an eyebrow. She didn't notice that she'd begun doing that, but after spending so much time around Severus, she wasn't surprised.

"Why are you pacing?" She clarified. "You always pace when you're thinking about something important."

His brows raised, then lowered in a scowl. Of course he would rather not have her notice such things. Hermione smiled. He gave in, his face relaxing, and he ran a hair through his lank hair.

"Yes, alright. I'm trying to understand why you would have been cursed, but not Potter and Weasley. I'd understand if Potter was the only one excluded, that would make sense. To have both of Potter's closest friends out of the picture would make it much easier for the Dark Lord to draw him out. Why just you?"

"You're right... That doesn't make much sense at all. Vold- the Dark Lord wouldn't be one to waste such an opportunity, would he?"

"No. Absolutely not."

"Then why did he? Did he not know about Ron and Harry having lessons too? No, that can't be it. If he saw Harry's memories, he would have known. It's not like Harry altered his memories or knew Volde- he was looking..." She trailed off, lips pursed in confusion, her eyebrows arched in concentration.

"No..." Severus said, his inflection one of dawning, of a realization, and one that did not seem good at all. His head snapped up, and she could see his nostrils flare as he inhaled deeply. His entire body tensed. A vein popped in his temple. Hermione waited for him to explain, but quickly realized he had once again become absorbed in himself and his thoughts. She let him work through it, afraid of interrupting and losing his train of thought, and then when he moved past her towards the door, she called out to him.

"Severus? What is it?"

He halted as if he'd slammed into a wall, and he spun on his heel, striding back towards her, a look of absolute horror and barely controlled anger twisting his face into an expression that made Hermione wince.

"What?" She whispered, taking a half a step back despite herself, her heart pounding in her chest. He stopped right when she thought he'd pass right over her, and he said slowly, enunciating every syllable with forced clarity, in an effort to control himself,

"The Dark Lord did not know that Weasley and Potter were having lessons. He invaded Potter's mind, and all he saw was what that ba-" He paused, took a deep breath, and continued, his voice an octave deeper, "He saw exactly what he wanted him to see. It was a test. Bait dangled right in front of his face. He had his suspicions, oh he did, I doubt Potter even knew he'd done it!" His voice rose, and his speech quickened, "The perfect way to prove what the Dark Lord was capable of, to prove that he was indeed aware of the connection. We need to go." He gripped her arm tightly and pulled her forward, turning and striding swiftly towards the door.

"Who's he? Go where?" Hermione asked, gasping as she was dragged forward, her feet stumbling to catch up beneath her. "Don't you want your cloak?"

He did not seem to acknowledge her words, but his grip loosened slightly, and as they made their way up the dungeon stairs, his hand slipped gently down past her elbow and circled her wrist loosely, then, Hermione realized, stunned, it shifted, and their palms were suddenly pressed together, fingers intertwined.

He did not look at her, or seem to notice what he'd done, but when Hermione gripped his hand tightly as she tripped up one of the steps, he glanced at her, strengthened his grip to help her recover, and despite no doubt being aware of their intimate contact, did not release her until they were at the top of the stairs and making their way down the corridors.

She was not sure what the hell to think about that.

It felt right.

Was it right?

Good Lord, he was her teacher!

But they gotten past that bit quite a while ago, had become friends despite it, and she was of age, anyway.

She did not get to continue her line of thought, nor was she able to berate herself for even thinking about the implications of being of age, because she had realized they were stopped in front of the Griffin, and Severus was saying the password to open it. She looked from Severus, to the turning Griffin statue, back to Severus, and the words he'd said echoed through her mind.

"Oh my god," She whispered, and then they were moving up the staircase and towards the thick oak door of Dumbledore's office. She now knew what the look of horror on Severus's face had meant, and why they had walked as though the very fire of hell was on their heels. This was not good. Not good at all.

A/N - Hello everyone! I am so incredibly sorry that it's been so long since I've updated. I had a two week vacation that I planned on devoting entirely to writing this fanfic, but unfortunately I ended up getting grounded from all electronics and had no way to do so. I promise I will try my hardest not to get behind in school again, and as a result leave you without updates! I feel horrible about it and I am really sorry.

I hope you all had a great holiday break and New Years!

Hah, I apologize about not updating, and then I go and leave you with a cliffhanger. I'm so evil.