AN: Hi everyone! I am so sorry for the long wait. Life happpen, unfortunately, which means that I might not be able to keep up with my weekly posts. But I am determined to finish this fic! Thank you all for sticking with me this long. Also special thanks to SyrenGrey and Bondgirltrb for their alpha/beta help!

XOX

Day 6, evening

Snape huffed as he withdrew from the young witch's mind for the third time.

"Miss Weasley," he scolded. "Do try and pick another image to perseverate on. I grow tired of observing myself in such a compromising position." He crossed his arms and glared at her, although he was unable to hide the coloring of his cheeks as he watched the memory of himself marching through the bedroom naked just a few hours ago.

"I'm sorry," she growled, fisting her hair in frustration. "It's certainly not something I want to see either! It's just… burned in my head or something!"

Snape shot a warning look at Granger when he heard a snort that she failed to cover up with a cough. These girls would be the death of him, he just knew it. If they couldn't manage to protect their minds he'd have to obliviate them. Not something he wanted to do, but he certainly wouldn't hesitate either.

"We go again," he snarled, pointing his wand at her temple.

"Fine."

"Gin-" Granger interrupted. "Try to bury everything, imagine he's trying to get at something you don't want him to see– and hide it."

The Weasley girl nodded at Granger before turning her eyes back to his own, nodding curtly and confidently.

" Legilimens."

Snape sighed. She still wasn't putting up much of a fight, but at least she was offering something other than his naked body. Not that scenes between her and Potter were any better.

Young love.

It disgusted him. Love was a weakness. Something that got you killed. It just wasn't worth it. Still… he saw how the young witch had looked at Potter throughout the years as memories flashed by. He watched as the auburn-haired witch fell for Potter. The memory only brought up feelings from his own youth with Lily, and it cut him deeply.

He dug deeper into her mind, unable to resist the pain it would cause both of them.

Their first kiss.

Potter was a stumbling fool. The witch was lucky it didn't go any further than that, he clearly didn't know what he was doing.

Flying together over breaks, practicing quidditch.

Thoughts of sex and love and babies.

He almost withdrew when he sensed something dark… something she didn't want to think about.

A red headed boy lying on the sofa, bleeding from his head.

"George!" The family was in anguish as they feared the worst. But he'd survive. Snape felt a wave of hatred directed at him at that moment. It was his fault her brother was ear-less now.

The memories changed.

Potter had told her he was going away. That she'd have to go to school alone. That he had a mission from Dumbledore and didn't want her to come. A pang of anger towards Granger— jealous that she got to go on the Horcrux hunt with her would-be lover.

Another transition.

" Ginny, we'll be back in a moment, just keep safe–" Potter had run off with Granger and Weasley to keep fighting.

The heartbreak from the girl affected him as well, he could feel her anguish.

They were in the Great Hall now. The dead were all laid out. A sea of redheads gathered around the body of the fallen brother. Molly was sprawled out over her son, crying and trembling as Arthur tried to calm her by stroking her hair. Granger had run over to the youngest Weasley then, offering her comfort as she mourned the death of Fred. It truly was a waste, the twins were brilliant, even if they were constant troublemakers.

"Enough!" Ginny cried out, forcing him from her mind at last. " Enough, please, " she cried. Granger once again came to her aid, pulling her in for a hug and stroking her hair.

Granger had looked up to him with understanding– she must know what Severus had seen, and understood that it was still too fresh for the young witch to handle. But she also knew it had to be done– the memories were painful but obviously they were what allowed her to expel him. He conjured a glass of water for her, handing it to the crying witch.

"Drink some water, Miss Weasley. Then we go again."

The burning glare of the witch would have made him flinch if he wasn't already occluding. Fuck this bloody war for making him do these horrible things. They were but children of war, forced to see things they never should– forced to do things they never could. Severus vowed if they all made it out of here, that he would do what he was able to keep them all protected. He let her rest for a few minutes before muttering, "again," and penetrating her mind once more.

"What are you doing?" she hissed– the fear was displayed blatantly in her eyes, the poor girl was terrified as her brother climbed on top of Granger. The boy was now on top of hiswitch, and once again, Severus felt his fury bubble up from within himself– being compelled to toss the fucker aside and claim what was his. Even more so now that he had actually tasted Granger. She was his, and he didn't share. This was perhaps the most painful memory of all.

"Keep watch," Ronald Weasley growled at his sister. "I won't let Snape take this from her. He can't have her." Severus watched himself crash through the gate, stalking up to the boy and slamming him against the wall. He hadn't meant to grab his throat that tightly… hadn't meant to hear the snapping of his bones. It just—happened. He knew there was no way anyone would ever forgive him for that damage he caused.

The Weasley girl pushed him out again, this time slapping him harshly across his cheek. His head snapped to the side beneath her force, heat blooming across his face where a handprint remained. He heard his witch gasp, but didn't expect her to come to his aid– not when her friend needed her so badly. Still, it was almost enough to know that she gasped for him.

"Continue your studies," he said softly, rubbing away the sting from his cheek. "You are getting better at casting me out, however you both need to keep me out every time. I shall return later this evening. Do not forget what is at risk should you fail," he warned.

And he swept away in a swirl of robes, returning to the dungeons to work on the poisonous potion meant for his Master. Hopefully, he could get the brew to cooperate today, he was running out of time.

XOX

Days 7-10

"I still don't trust him," Ginny grumbled to Hermione. She evidently was still irritated at Snape's less than gentle approach at Occlumency. Not to mention, the reminder of how he murdered her brother made her a bit homicidal herself. Hermione had been trying to calm her down over the past few days, but the more Snape pushed, the more Ginny pushed back. Snape had informed them both that their time was running out, that Dolohov would be showing up any day now to take Ginny back.

"He's done so much for us, Gin. He risks an awful lot just keeping you here. I think we need to give him more respect."

"I am never going to respect that man! I can't believe he is just going to let Dolohov take me back. I'm not going to survive this, Hermione. I just know it."

"We will make it through this together, Ginny. I promise. If it's the last thing I do, we will make it out of here."

That night, the witches wept in their bed. Hermione cried for her friend. She was truly heartbroken and worried about the pain she would suffer at the hands of that lunatic. She cried for the losses they had suffered. And she cried for the man that would sacrifice his body and damn his soul to see this war end, only to have everyone despise him.

Snape had allowed them to keep his bed while he remained on the sofa. Most nights, Hermione found herself unable to sleep. Snape himself rarely slept, which was likely why he had all those vampire rumors circulating throughout her school years. That's how Hermione found herself sneaking out at night, seeking out his company.

She found herself clinging to the safety and warmth she found with him. Sometimes they would just sit in the quiet as Ginny slumbered, due to the dash of Dreamless Sleep in her evening tea. Other times, they would work on her own Occlumency abilities. She had begun to master that so well that he was teaching her Legilimency as well. On these nights, he'd let her use her wand that he had hidden away somewhere, unable to let her use it for too long of an interval, on the off chance Voldemort wanted to run tests on her wand to see if it had been used.

She loved the small blips of his life that he allowed her to see while she learned. He had told her it was simply because he wanted her to be able to help Ginny with Occlumency, giving himself some time away from the girl. But Hermione liked to believe he enjoyed his time with her.

Tonight, she was sneaking out of bed to meet with him again. Their peaceful time together in front of the fireplace was quickly becoming her favorite part of her day. She had checked to make sure Ginny was snoring before pushing open the bedroom door, closing it silently behind her. He looked up from the sofa where he was reclined casually, feet propped up on his table as he read. Hermione observed how human he looked, sitting there with his top three buttons undone, book in hand. His left arm was resting on the arm rest, bent to support his head as he focused on the tome.

He looked up, eyes meeting her own and her breath caught.

"Good evening, Miss Granger," he whispered in that deep, silky voice he seemed to reserve for their time alone together.

"What are you reading?"

"A book on wandless magic. I would like you to start reading it as well. There are skills you could learn that would be invaluable."

Snape held out the large tome to her. She grabbed it from him, fingers brushing against his as she moved to sit down next to him. She started flipping through it. Her mind always thirsted for knowledge and she was eager to absorb anything the pages offered her.

He chuckled softly, budging over a bit to make room for her, raising his arm to the back of the sofa, almost in invitation. Hermione found herself unable to resist, and tucked herself beside his body. She felt him press his thigh against hers, and she held her breath. The act itself could be innocent, but she felt that Severus Snape would never allow accidental touches. What could that possibly mean then?

Truthfully, she was confused about her feelings. She reasoned that her connection to him was likely some sort of post-traumatic bonding she felt. But did it really matter? He made her feel alive, and she knew he'd protect her to the best of his abilities. Could she really be blamed, then, if she found herself craving his tongue? Lapping between her legs as she forced him to finish the job he had only just started the last time the curse struck?

Hermione blushed, deep enough that Snape could likely still see it, even with the only light being from the fireplace. He laughed again, crossing his leg and resting both arms across the back of the sofa. She wanted to burrow into his arms and drift off to sleep as he held her. Snape seemed to sense this. Suddenly his smile faltered and his eyes seemed to be set ablaze.

"Miss Granger–"

"Will you ever call me Hermione?" Her voice was quiet and shaky as she cast her eyes down into her lap, watching as her fingers picked at the skin of her thumb– an unfortunate nervous habit.

"No," he said simply.

"Why?"

"Why do you want me to?" He raised his voice, slightly irritated now. "It is important to keep clear lines, Miss Granger. There are boundaries I'm not willing to cross."

"We could die tomorrow, sir. Wouldn't it be nice to, I don't know, live while we have the chance?"

"No."

"You're a frustrating man, you know that?"

"You're a petulant witch," he retorted.

"I just want to feel normal for once! I want to pretend that I will survive this. That not every day could be my last. That someone out there actually cares about me. I want–"

He placed a finger over her lips, instantly silencing her. She watched as his eyes transformed into liquid heat. He ran his finger over the seam of her lips, trailing down to her bottom lip to gently tug it down, releasing it to pop against her teeth.

"People care," he whispered. They stared at each other for a long while, neither of them moving or speaking as the air thickened with tension. Finally, he cleared his throat, settling back into his seat.

"It's late. You should go to bed."

"But–"

"I'm tired, witch. And you need your rest."

She hung her head low in defeat, breathing deeply as she willed her tears of embarrassment and disappointment to remain hidden away. She didn't want to show Snape any more weakness tonight. Her eyes burned as she slowly nodded her head, returning to the bedroom and trying to sleep.

XOX

Day 10-11

The first few days went by quickly and uneventfully for Severus. At least, he hadn't been summoned. The Dark Lord had, of course, called a meeting to discuss the death of Goyle, but nothing more came of that. They certainly hadn't discussed the Malfoy family any more. All of that spoke to the reason that the Dark Lord had only suspected, and wasn't actually sure of anything regarding that family. Severus breathed a sigh of relief after all was said and done, it wouldn't be beneficial to have to duel again.

The girls had improved drastically with their Occlumency skills. He was sure part of it was because they had nothing to do all day but work at it. But still, he spent little time helping them anymore, aside from giving them phials of headache relief potion when they pushed themselves too far.

Those lessons were starting to take a toll on him though. He didn't like letting anyone inside his brain, least of all Hermione Granger. He was having a hard enough time figuring out how to remain calm enough throughout the day to not accidentally set off his damned curse. Add to it the fact that the girl came to him every night just to seek out his company, and he was barely holding on to his sanity. He needed to push her away, not invite her closer.

He was confident with their skills. They kept him out every time he attempted, both obviously and not. They were even able to create some false memories that would be fairly convincing. Maybe not to the Dark Lord, but if anyone else were to try, they would be successful. Unfortunately, that meant that the Weasley girl would have to return to that wretched Dolohov soon. He needed to begin their work on wandless spells as soon as possible.

When Granger had come to him that night, as she was wont to do, she seemed more nervous than usual. He could feel the tension too. It proved too tempting, to slide into her mind. So he did. She was thinking about him. She wanted him. He couldn't let that happen. She was too young, too vulnerable.

Guiltily, he took himself in hand that night, wishing to relieve some tension and avoid setting off the curse as his stress rose. He closed his eyes and imagined her writhing beneath him, nails digging into his shoulders and marking him as he had marked her. He would belong to her as much as she belonged to him. After his sticky release, he fought back the urge to retch. The guilt was too much. He shouldn't be having these thoughts. Not about her. He rolled over onto his side and squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to forget the girl as he waited for sleep to take him.

He left early the next morning to go to his personal lab. Today he would attempt to add in some Angel's Trumpet, in small doses, hoping that this could be the ingredient that would get his brew to work. He carefully pulverized the petals with his mortar and pestle, scattering them gently into his cauldron before stirring anticlockwise 13 times. He cast a stasis charm and prepared to return to his rooms. This batch needed to mature for 24 hours before he could do anything with it, and his time would be better spent training Granger.

Severus sighed, standing from behind the worktable and started to make his way back to his chambers. Pushing open his door, he found the two witches standing off against one another, attempting to cast wandless Protego spells and stinging hexes. He was glad that his witch took it upon herself to teach Weasley. Truthfully, he didn't have the patience for the other girl, and he didn't fully trust her. But she was a close friend and their friendship was good for morale. Still, he couldn't let them think he was at all relaxed around them.

"Miss Granger, Miss Weasley," he sneered, "do make yourself at home."

The younger witch rolled her eyes— she had stopped cowering at his boots the moment she saw him starkers. Granger, however, instantly straightened and blushed, which he found interesting.

"S-sorry sir."

XOX

Hermione straightened when Snape appeared. She hadn't been expecting his return this early in the day, but she was pleasantly surprised to see his looming form in the doorway, arms crossed and scowling at their failures. She rubbed her temples, soothing away the headache she had earned with her poor attempts at wandless magic. She was exhausted, but knew she needed to master this skill if she wanted to fight in the upcoming battle.

"You're wasting your energy," he huffed. "Have you learned nothing from my Defense classes?"

"You never taught wandless magic," Ginny growled, obviously annoyed that she hadn't mastered it yet either.

"No, but I did teach you to cast silently, did I not?"

"Yes," Hermione answered curiously.

"The magic needs to come from the same place. Nonverbal and wandless magic are the most powerful. But they are also the hardest to control. Now that you each have some control of your minds, you should be successful with this. Block me."

Hermione was barely given a second's notice before he had brandished his ebony wand, pointing it at her and sending off a flash of red light. She yelped, trying desperately to cast a shield in time and failing. She prepared herself for the sting, but found he had only marked her chest with a red splotch where his spell had landed.

"You would be dead, Granger. Try again."

Once more, a flash of red left his wand, this time striking her in her shoulder. Then her neck. Then her thigh. As he let her breathe, he did the same to Ginny. Before long, they were both covered in red marks, Snape looking at them with a smug expression.

"You aren't teaching us, Snape!" Ginny yelled. "You want us to get better but all you do is leave a book for us to study and then shoot off spells at us. How are we supposed to learn?"

"You must find where your magic is centered. You must call it forward with intent. Granger, come here."

Hermione walked towards him slowly, eyes downcast so he wouldn't be able to see her blush. He placed two fingers under her chin when they stood toe to toe, forcing her to look up at him. Her lips parted as she tried her hardest to not squirm beneath his penetrating stare. Instead, he whispered to her.

"Where does your magic come from?"

She inhaled, closing her eyes to think. She placed her hands over her lower abdomen, just below her navel. "Here, I think," she responded breathlessly. Snape hummed in response, reaching forward to place a large hand on the spot she had gestured to. His hands sprawled out over her made her core clench as she noted how large his hands were. They dominated her abdomen, spreading out much further than her own did.

"Focus on your magic, witch," he whispered into her ear. "Call it forward from this spot." As his fingers tensed on her belly, she bit her ,up to hold back a moan. With her eyes closed, she focused her energy from the spot that her wizard was currently clutching. She felt the tingling sensation of her magic pulsing, until finally, she felt herself cast a shielding charm.

She was elated! Turning to give Snape a huge smile, she couldn't resist wrapping her arms around him and squealing. When she turned back around, it was to find Ginny looking angry, turning to stomp back to the bedroom.

"Gin! Wait—"

There was a knock on the door. Hermione felt fear wash over her, looking up to see Ginny frozen mid-step, eyes as large as an owl's. But Snape's fear affected Hermione more than anything. If this man was afraid, what could that possibly mean?

"Fuck. He's here," Snape muttered. Taking a deep breath, he moved to walk towards the door.

"Miss Weasley. I'm afraid our time is up. Dol—"

"No!" Ginny cried. "No! I won't go back there!"

The knocking on the door became louder, more irritated.

"You must."

"Fuck that! He'll kill me!"

"Gin, no!" Hermione cried.

"Miss Weasley… he won't be allowed to touch you."

"You can't possibly know that!" She snarled.

"I've spoken with the Dark Lord. There is to be a change of occupation amongst the…" he paused for a moment, unable to find the correct word.

"Slaves?" Ginny snarled.

Snape nodded his head and continued. "You are all to start reconstructing the castle. You'll be allowed to have your wands, with supervision and a charm that prevents it from being used for dueling. I will supervise the majority of the time, alongside several other Death Eaters. The Dark Lord wants the castle functional by the start of term. I won't let harm come to you."

Although he was speaking to Ginny, Hermione watched as his eyes landed on her as he vowed to protect them. The thought made her stomach flutter.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

"Snape! Open the door! What's taking so long?"

The handle jiggled as Dolohov tried to enter. Severus breathed deeply and started to unbutton his frock coat, tossing it down on the sofa before unbuttoning his top three buttons and rolling up the sleeves to his elbow.

"Go to the bedroom and wait for me there. I apologize for anything I say or do."

Hermione grimaced, knowing full well what Snape might have to do to them.

"Come on Gin." She grabbed her friend by the elbow and led them to the bedroom as Snape walked to the door and pulled it open.

XOX

"Get off me," Ginny growled.

"We need to talk."

"No, actually. We don't. While you're off fucking my brother's murderer , I'm struggling to survive that sadistic prick. You're getting trained and treated properly. I'm getting beaten. It's not fair! And you expect me to trust him? Trust Snape? He's literally giving me back to my tormentor, Hermione!"

Ginny was breathing heavily, pacing the room as she growled her frustration, thankfully quiet enough that the wizards wouldn't likely hear.

"You need to wake up, Hermione. He's manipulating you, and I, for one, refuse to trust him."

"We don't have another choice, Gin. He's all we got! He's taught you to protect your mind, hasn't he? We started learning some defensive spells? Maybe he can think of a reason for us to meet up, for—"

"Shh!" Hermione was interrupted. "They're coming. What do we do?"

The witches were panicking. It was certainly odd that they'd just be standing in the middle of Snape's bedroom in their transfigured clothing, arguing.

"Take off Snape's clothes and get under the covers!"

XOX

"Severus! Took you long enough."

"Antonin," he nodded.

"What took so long?" Dolohov smirked as he took in Severus' level of undress. "Not interrupting a disciplinary lesson am I?"

"Not interrupting at all," he responded smoothly. "I was simply relaxing after a very trying day yesterday."

Snape led him back towards his bedroom, hoping the witches heard them coming. When he opened the door, he found both girls dressed in their original frocks and laying in bed under the covers.

What the hell were they thinking?

"Did you fuck my toy?" Dolohov was furious, a vein pulsing in the middle of his forehead.

Severus was caught off guard. Seeing Granger looking afraid of him took his breath away. He didn't want her to fear him any longer. But then he felt her push against his mind, pushing forward her feelings of trust and calm. He watched as she ran her fingers over her brand… knew she was saying they were a team and she trusted him— that this was for show.

"I taught her how to behave and respond appropriately to a master," he responded silkily.

The Death Eater looked as if he were going to explode. Snape could hear the man grinding his teeth, but was grateful that he kept his mouth closed. It would seem that Dolohov was finally realizing that Snape was a higher ranking Death Eater than he was, and that he needed to control himself a bit better.

"If I find out you touched her… I will see to it that it is reciprocal, Snape." Dolohov reached forward, wrenching the witch from the bed, Granger clung to her for but a minute before remembering herself and letting go. The Weasley girl looked fearful, but turned to Snape as Dolohov turned to lead her out the door and nodded at him determinedly.

Snape held back his smirk for the girl's fire. He knew she would be alright. That she'd survive while he gathered his army. There was no other option.

"Touch my witch, and I assure you, you will deeply regret it. I do not share," he growled. "Besides. I believe you'll find Miss Weasley to be perfectly trained. However, the Dark Lord has granted me permission to use her with the rebuilding efforts. If I find she is too harmed to be able to work, I will not hesitate to bring this to our Master's attention."

Antonin glared but nodded his head in understanding. "Let us hope she really is trained then. It would be interesting to see you try to talk your way out of a punishment if I were to tell the Dark Lord you spent the last three weeks fucking them both instead of training them."

After his final threat, Dolohov pushed the Weasley girl out of his chambers. Severus warded his door, turning just in time to catch Granger as she threw herself at him, tears streaming down her face.

"He's going to kill her!" She cried out, tears staining his coat as she buried her face against his chest, wrapping her hands around his waist as she sobbed.

Severus pulled her close, embracing her as he tried to bring her comfort. He ran his hand over her hair, petting her as she relaxed under his touch.

" Shhh ," he whispered. "She will be alright. He can't harm her— he wouldn't risk the Dark Lord's wrath."

"I can't stand to lose anyone else, Severus. I just can't." He stilled at her use of his first name– Granger's broken voice made his heart clench. He knew there was nothing he wouldn't do for her— to keep her safe and happy.

"I won't let that happen, Granger."

She looked up at him with big brown eyes. A small smile formed as she blushed and looked away, unable to keep her eyes on him. "No. I don't think you would."

He cleared his throat and stepped away from her.

"Let's get you cleaned up. Then perhaps we should eat. You'll need to keep your strength up if we are to start training."

"Training?" Severus bit his lip so he didn't outright laugh at her eager expression— always the swot… hungrily searching out any new knowledge to ingest.

"Some more wandless magic, I should think. It might come in handy over the course of our journey here."

"Yes sir. I'll just use the loo and be back."

"Granger?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"I'll have your clothing brought here. Something more suitable for day-to-day life."

"Oh, thank you sir!" She started to run back towards him, but he wasn't ready for another hug… not yet.

Instead, he held up a hand before responding grumpily, "I'm running out of trousers to transfigure."

She smirked before lowering her eyes and nodding. "Right then. I'll just bathe and then I'll join you for some lunch."

Snape nodded and disappeared to the sitting room.

XOX

"Concentrate, witch!" He growled.

"How am I supposed to fight back? You are a powerful wizard and you have a wand! I have nothing! "

"You have passion. Your fire is more than enough for you to be able to cast wandlessly. Now… block me , girl!"

Hermione was furious. She wasn't sure why she thought Snape would take it easy on her, but immediately following lunch, he grabbed his wand and started shooting hexes at her. At first, it was harmless, stinging hexes. however, now he cast a stunner and her eyes opened wildly as she panicked. Surely he didn't actually mean for her to be able to block that? Not without a wand.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to hit. When it didn't, she opened her eyes to see a smiling Snape— genuinely smiling. He looked years younger and her belly clenched at the sight.

"Very good, Miss Granger," he cooed.

It took Hermione a few minutes to realize that she had, in fact, cast a shielding charm. She smiled in return, giddy with delight as she watched him saunter closer to her. The way he was looking at her made her mouth dry. He looked so… proud. But there was something else there. Lust, perhaps? Or was that wishful thinking? Had she really grown to miss their… rendezvous? The curse hadn't seemed to affect him since Ginny's first day there.

Still, she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss the way he felt pressed against her— she had often thought back to their first time with full consent… the man could tease her mercilessly and have her begging for it, she was positively that. As he walked closer to her, her heart thumped in her chest. Maybe he'd kiss her? Reward her for her skill?

Right as she started to close her eyes, waiting for the kiss, she felt a burning, stinging sensation on her hip. Her eyes snapped open to see Snape towering over her.

"Never let your guard down girl… trust no one. I could've killed you. I would have killed you if I were the enemy," he growled.

"But… you! I-I thought you were…"

"You thought I would, what , Miss Granger?" He leaned forward… his hot breath caressing her ear as he whispered to her. That deep voice of his, so dark and forbidding… she longed to hear him say dirty things to her. He lightly bit down on her earlobe before pulling back with a smile.

"You're fucking with me," she questioned.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your language, Miss Granger," he teased even more.

She gasped, taken aback at this new change in behavior. He seemed to remember himself, straightening up and clearing his voice.

"I have some brewing to do. Keep reading about wandless magic, and remember to keep your guard up at all times."

Then, the frustrating man left her alone to her thoughts once more.