A/N: Phheww... it's been a tough week, and it's only Monday. Anywho, I had this finished a few days ago, but I forced myself to avoid proofing and posting until after my Biochem midterm was over. So here we are, and I'm looking forward to your reviews for a pick-me-up!

I have one review to respond to here, so feel free to skip ahead to the story if you aren't interested!

Jess – since you reviewed as a guest, I can't PM you, so I will have address your comments here. Yes, Christianity has been practiced since the 1st century and is the largest religion in Europe. Does that mean everybody practices it? No – the most recent numbers show that only 59% of people in the UK identify as Christians. (I mean, even where I live, which is generally considered a white/conservative/Christian area, I not only have friends that belong to Catholicism and every Protestant denomination, but also ones who are Muslim, Jewish, Wiccan, Agnnostic, Atheist, Hindi, Buddhist, Baha'i etc.) So, among the Muggleborn/Muggle-raised witches/wizards, likely there are a variety of practiced (or not practiced) religions including but certainly not limited to Christianity.

Now, if you consider how long Wizarding society has been in place – Ollivander's wand shop, for instance, has been in business since 382 B.C. – clearly, they've been around far longer than Christianity. Yes, they celebrate Christmas, but where does Christmas fall? On a pagan holiday. How is it observed? With pagan symbolism. Furthermore, how has Christianity viewed witchcraft and magic throughout its existence? By labeling it as the devil's work and burning suspected practitioners at the stake (or more recently by sending teenaged exorcists armed with holy water and crosses to save demon-possessed Harry Potter fans). I'm guessing that attitude had a big something to do with the split/hostility that occurred between the magical and Muggle world. Somehow I don't see them embracing the religion that persecuted them so violently. And if we look past the negative connotation unfairly bestowed upon the word 'pagan' by our religion, it doesn't actually mean heathen. In fact, the historical/anthropological definition of the word simply means 'pre-Christianity' or 'non-Christian'.

So, in short, I decided to make Hermione's family Christian (somewhat lapsed, in the case of her father) because it's the major religion in England and it's what I know as a practitioner of that religion. Hence the fact that she more frequently says "Oh God." McGonagall, I chose to follow JKR's backstory and kept her father a minister, but she's been in the wizarding world for the majority of her life where "oh gods" could be a common expression (Like 'egads' which is used by Christians and non alike, which literally translates to "oh gods"). But as to your assumption that wizards aren't pagans… I would respectfully disagree. I don't mean to offend anyone or sound too preachy, but that's how I see it. I personally think it would be taking more artistic freedom and a huge leap of faith (couldn't resist, mate) to claim the opposite.

Bound to Him

Chapter 57

"Pardon?"

Poppy snorted under her breath and folded her arms to her chest. "You heard me."

Severus raised one eyebrow. "I do not, however, understand what it is you are implying. Miss Granger is a student under my –"

"Do you take me for an idiot?"

"At times," he mumbled grumpily. When she narrowed her eyes at him, he returned the glare as he perched on the edge of the bed and cast a Muffliato. "Oh do tell why it is you think otherwise."

A flicker of a smile toyed at her lips. "You complimented her brewing abilities."

"You deserved an accurate depiction of her skills," he countered. "I had no intention of ever letting the comment fall upon her ears and go to her already large head."

The witch leaned forward slightly. "You should have seen it, Severus. Her eyes practically sparkled at hearing your positive assessment."

"Which is why she was never meant to hear it," the man grumbled. "The rest of the staff practically stumbles over each other with their praises, and since I refuse to partake in their tomfoolery, she has been fishing for compliments in my class since she first walked through the door."

"Oh, pish." The nurse rolled her eyes. "Furthermore, she made it quite clear to me that she knows enough to see right past your 'foul git' façade. She said, and I quote, 'I do trust him whole-heartedly.'"

Snape sighed at her smug expression and realized that he should have known the girl would be unable to let the uncertainty of that particular issue stand. "Well, there have been a number of times during which I saved her high-and-mighty arse."

"You've also saved Potter several times," she argued. "I don't see him down here professing to the degree in which he trusts you."

"The only thing that proves is that she is not as incompetent or ungrateful as that little brat is!"

"And here we are again paying her compliments," Poppy smirked.

"For Merlin's sake," he growled. "I merely said she was not as much of an idiot as Potter is."

"Which is a compliment by your standards," the witch explained. "And when I know that you've added her to the wards on your private storeroom –"

"What?"

She rolled her shoulders slightly before replying. "Miss Granger was short an ingredient this morning, and not wishing to inconvenience either of us, went to grab one from your stores. She didn't seem to know that it was password protected, yet still was capable of retrieving the necessary item. Thus, you must have added her to the wards."

His eyes narrowed into a dangerous gaze as he took in the information. "Well, clearly, I did it for this very reason! If the infirmary were to be short-stocked on a vital ingredient, then it would need to be borrowed from my stores, and I may be not be available at that particular moment to play delivery boy. As I knew that she was going to take over the majority of the hospital brewing, it only made sense!"

"You merely gave me the password," Madam Pomfrey stated calmly. "You didn't add me to the wards."

"Because I can trust you to keep a bloody secret!" he snapped loudly. "I didn't want to run the risk of her blabbing it to her supply-pilfering friends, now did I?"

"You don't trust her, so you gave her full access?" she murmured in an incredulous tone.

Fuck. The multitude of potions coursing through his system was beginning to complicate matters as they seemed to make every argument a bit hazy. "She doesn't know she has full access. I was relying on her fear of me to keep her in check."

"Her fear of you?" she repeated, cocking her head. "Then why did she nearly refer to you by your first name last night? Students don't typically do so with professors they fear."

Fucking hell, Granger. He ground his teeth as he shook his head. "Because she's a disrespectful little chit, that's why."

"Thestral shit," the Healer declared. "That girl is the most respectful student I've ever met."

"I wouldn't label nicking ingredients, attacking professors, and trying to start a bloody house-elf revolution as 'respectful'."

She chuckled lightly for a moment. "Yes, well, she's also an individual who was so distracted by her concern for your well-being that she forgot all about the potion she was brewing."

"Because she's careless!" he shouted.

"Not according to your glowing recommendation," she stated softly, holding up one finger.

Snape rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. "It wasn't glowing, and she was likely overwhelmed because you pulled her into something with which she should never have been involved."

"Should never have been involved because of the threat to her emotional well-being, or because of the violation of your privacy?"

"Yes!" he hissed before realizing he had not really answered the question. "To the latter one. As a student, she had no right to even be present let alone assist with my treatment! What if she had cocked something up, hmm? Or do you suddenly think my position isn't dangerous enough?"

"Oh, but she did exceptionally well last night," Poppy grinned. "Surprisingly so, and I was even more surprised to hear that she knew about your After-Cruciatus Potion. You see, I only keep my supply of it here in this room, which she had never entered prior to last night, in this cabinet, which I keep under wards. I have never introduced it into her lessons, and the only time I ever had to administer it to her, she was unconscious. And seeing as you are the inventor, she could not have read about it since it has never been published as no one beyond select Order members is to know it even exists!"

The wizard paused briefly as he sought a plausible explanation that did not involve the girl having seen his personal supply which the nurse knew he kept in his own quarters. "Well, I have been giving her defense lessons this entire year, and at times she has been in my office while I am brewing. She isn't exactly known to not ask questions."

"But you aren't exactly known to give straight answers, are you? You wouldn't have told her if you didn't trust her with the information," she pointed out, "which entirely circumvents your argument as to why you wouldn't simply give her the password to your wards."

"For fuck's sake," he snarled.

"And all of this leads me back to your own behavior last night," the woman smirked. "She blew up a cauldron, wasting time and supplies, and yet the only thing you did was offer an explanation as to why it happened. Not only did you not completely lose your temper, but you didn't even offer a single chastisement."

"Perhaps I didn't have the energy to do so," Severus exhaled.

"I would argue that it takes more energy for you to be patient."

"Are you quite finished?" he asked grumpily, folding his arms. "At the very most, you've proven that I've moronically allowed an acquaintanceship with a student."

The meditwitch snorted and shook her head. "You hardly allow yourself to be amicable with anyone, even when you were a student! Beyond Miss Evans and that pretentious twit Malfoy, you weren't close to anyone."

"What's your point?" he sighed.

"My point," she replied slowly, leaning forward, "is that Miss Granger, when asked to assist with something completely out of her element, did not hesitate for even a fraction of a second. She stood next to you for nearly an hour and a half, without complaint, monitoring you for tremors and administering your potions. The only time her face showed any inkling of distress was when she knew that you had to be in exceptional pain. And when that happened, she attempted to offer you comfort – not as one would a feared professor or an acquaintance, but as one would comfort someone she cared for. Her only concern was your welfare, and even this morning she was troubled over the fact that she could have caused you additional harm when the potion blew."

Severus wiped his hand with his face and stared at the wall. "Well, if you're concerned that Miss Granger has developed –"

"What? Developed a crush on her Potions Master?" Poppy interrupted in disbelief. "If that were simply the case, the girl would have been visibly affected by seeing you in naught but your knickers, but she wasn't! She wasn't thrown off in the least at your nakedness, which leads me to believe –"

"Oh, hold on one –"

"No, you hold on!" she stated forcefully. "I haven't finished. Even if you… even if she saw you in all your paleness that night, she hardly would have remained as unaffected as she did. She didn't blush; she didn't avert her eyes; she didn't gape in shock or flinch in revulsion. And when you factor in that she had nearly a full serving of firewhiskey in her system –"

"What?" he hissed. "You served alcohol to a student on school grounds?"

The woman narrowed her eyes and held out her pointer finger. "Don't you dare turn this back on me, young man! We're discussing your Hogwarts policy violations with Granger now."

Seeing no real way to back out of the hole he had dug for himself, the Slytherin Head sighed loudly. "Perhaps we ought to send for Albus then."

"Oh, don't you give me that rubbish," she chided grumpily. "I am not going to be fed some rehearsed line by the Headmaster. It was clear to me that whatever is going on between the two of you is known quite well by both him and Minerva. Now, I want to know why it is that neither of them – Minerva, especially – appears to mind that you are sleeping with my apprentice!"

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose while he debated with himself. After a moment, he groaned and dropped his hand back into his lap. "Well, you certainly present a better case than Lupin did."

"Is that the reason for the concussion?" she pressed. When he nodded, the nurse inhaled deeply. "Well, I'm fixing to give you something worse if you don't answer me sufficiently. I'm quite adept at enema charms, I assure you."

The wizard grimaced and stared at his hands for a long moment. "I take it that you've put together that I… was the one who raped her the night I brought her to you."

"Well, I wasn't certain," Poppy mumbled sadly, "Obviously, I knew you had harmed her in some fashion, but I figured it was likely that you were responsible for most of it given your reactions afterward. Minerva assured me that she would keep an eye out for Miss Granger, so I didn't press the matter because I knew damn well that Albus would close ranks."

"He had good reason," Severus replied, taking a deep breath. "That night… the Dark Lord demanded that I… claim the girl in every possible way. He wants her to spy on Potter for him, and to ensure that it occurs, he required that she be bound to me."

"Bound to you?"

He closed his eyes in a grimace as he quickly murmured, "Using a ritual for enslaving concubines or wives from the Dark Ages."

"What?" she cried.

He hung his head as he continued explaining. "If I so choose, I can hear her thoughts. If I give her a direct command, whether I mean to or not, she has to obey or suffer pain similar to the Cruciatus. And to ensure that I maintain control of her bloodline, the curse requires that we periodically engage in sexual relations."

The witch stared at him with a horrified expression on her face for several seconds. Swallowing heavily, she tilted her head. "And this has been going on since August? For five months that poor girl has been dealing with all of this?"

He inhaled and nodded slowly.

"You!" she snapped, pointing at him. "You're the one responsible for her pregnancy concerns!"

"Yes, but –"

"I knew she was lying to me! She was told to lie to me, wasn't she?"

"In a manner of speak –"

"Merlin's sake! The girl was scared out of her wits, needing my help, and I… I bloody well interrogated her, didn't I?"

"You couldn't have kno—"

"I know! Because no one bloody told me!" Pomfrey shouted. When he winced and dropped his head, her voice took on a more demanding tone. "Severus Snape, what else aren't you telling me?"

"The lessons I've been giving her started with Occlumency," the man replied quietly after several seconds, pushing himself into a more upright position, "because the Dark Lord has called for her to be brought to him during the past months… and if my fears are correct, will do so again."

The woman launched out of her chair and began pacing the span of the room. After a moment of processing, she stopped suddenly and looked at him. "Was she ever injured during –"

At seeing his grimace, she stopped mid-sentence and crossed her arms. "Why was she never brought to me?"

"I saw to her wounds."

"You are not a certified Healer!" Poppy shouted, slapping the counter top. After taking in a deep breath, she gestured at him angrily. "If you slink off to your quarters and refuse to seek my help, that's your decision. As much as it pains me, I cannot do anything about it because you are an adult with the freedom to choose, but by gods, Hermione Granger is still a student no matter what it is she is having to do for the Order! As the matron nurse of this school, she is under my care and I should have been the one to provide her treatment! I have far more expertise in this area than you do!"

"You couldn't even be bothered to give her the full dose of the icing potion when I fucking told you to!" Snape returned, standing to his full height. "If you had followed instructions, she wouldn't have been writhing on my floor in agony the next day!"

"Well, if you had bothered to tell me what the hell it was I was supposed to be treating with it, I would have!" She bellowed, stepping closer to him. "I cannot make sound medical decisions when I'm not given all of the necessary information!"

"Which is why I was the one making them!" he yelled. "If I had needed your help I would have come to you, but I didn't and the fewer people who knew about I, the better!"

"So I'm untrustworthy, is that it?"

"No!"

"Then why wasn't I told?" Madam Pomfrey thundered.

"Because he didn't want you to know what horrible things he's capable of."

The two staff members stared at each other in mild confusion before glancing sideways. Hermione stood in the doorway, with one hand on the door knob and an unreadable expression on her face.

"Miss Granger…" Poppy began in a soft voice, eyeing the girl in concern.

The young witch shook her head. "I just thought you might want to consider a silencing charm if you're going to keep shouting at each other. The door isn't exactly soundproof, and I could hear your shouting down the hall."

"But he did, though."

The girl had been in the process of closing the door, but froze briefly upon the nurse's confused reply. Swallowing slowly, she flicked her gaze to Severus and took his pained expression for confirmation.

"Hermione, I –"

"I have to get back to the potion," she stated quickly, interrupting him. "I wouldn't want to carelessly blow up your cauldron, too."

As the door shut behind her, Snape sighed loudly and wiped his face.

"How long do you think…" the Healer began before trailing off.

"Too long," he murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You didn't mean any of the things you said earlier, did you?" Madam Pomfrey asked quietly. When he shook his head, she glanced at the door. "Well, if she heard any of it, she might think you did."

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

Hermione blinked rapidly as she tossed in the diced horseradish root with more force than required. She had not fully meant to eavesdrop on their conversation, but she had heard raised voices and thought something might be wrong. She had only meant to listen long enough to ascertain whether or not they were just having an argument or if something more serious was occurring. Upon hearing mention of her own name, however, she had found herself practically rooted in place. Though she knew she should not have been eavesdropping, it did not minimize the pain that the overheard comments had inflicted.

Careless. Untrustworthy. Disrespectful. Dangerous. Even if they did not represent his true feelings, the insults to her person had all rolled off of his tongue so easily and, when he had so angrily demanded that she get away from him the night before, they cut her deeply. As the last cube of root splashed into the boiling liquid, she wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

A knock on the door jamb startled her slightly, but she could not bring herself to look at him for more than a few seconds. Pinching her trembling lips together, she immediately averted her gaze to the work table and picked up her cast iron stirring rod.

"Hermione," Severus stated quietly as he stepped across the threshold, "whatever you may have heard… I did not mean what I said about you."

The girl cleared her throat gently before asking, "This time?"

He winced at the implication of her question and nodded. "I am sorry. You were not meant to hear any of that."

"I've figured that out for myself," she muttered as she began another round of cloverleaf stirs.

"Are you upset that I told her?" he asked after a lengthy moment of silence. "If you are, I can –"

"You can what?" Hermione interrupted, finally glancing up at him. "Obliviate her?"

The wizard closed his eyes momentarily. "It's an option."

"No. It isn't," she argued, dropping her eyes back to the cauldron. "And I don't care that she knows. Frankly, I'm relieved that she does because it's far easier than trying to come up with excuses for things all of the time. It was hard enough to lie to her before I started working with her."

"I apologize for not considering that earlier," Snape replied, dipping his head. "And also for not considering whether you would have preferred to have been treated by her instead."

She shook her head and let out a long sigh. "I don't care about that either."

"Well, clearly you care about something."

"I care," she slammed her hands down on the table, struggling to keep her tears in check, "that I don't know how long it would have been before you finally saw fit to tell me that you did tell her! Or would I have had to find out from her like I did with Draco?"

His eyebrows rose slightly as he stepped towards her. "Hermione, I –"

"No!" she snapped, pulling away from him. "Don't touch me."

He flinched visibly and then cleared his throat. "I was just… Forgive me, I did not intend to upset you…about this or about Poppy. I tried to convince her otherwise, but I realize that I should have consulted with you before confessing the truth. And I was going to tell you immediately."

When the witch turned her back to him, Severus sighed and picked up the stirring rod to complete the next set of stirs.

Hermione grimaced slightly when she heard him tending to her potion, but did not fully trust herself to give it the proper attention while he remained in the room. Folding her arms across her stomach, she heaved a deep sigh. "Are you ever going to trust me?"

The wizard swallowed in surprise as he dropped the stirring rod back to the table. "What?"

"You agreed to be honest with me," she answered while staring blankly at the wall, "but you haven't told me about the Muffliato or about the fact that I can walk unchecked through your wards. And the fact that you haven't complained about my ability to sneak into your quarters at all this term leads me to believe that you know why."

"I do," he murmured slowly.

"Well," the witch whispered, rubbing her eyes, "don't bother telling me unless you're absolutely certain that I won't run blabbing to my friends."

Severus ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Hermione, I didn't keep it from you because I don't trust you. I kept it from you because… I didn't want to offend you."

"To offend me?" she hissed, spinning around with a narrowed gaze. "Oh, do explain that one, please, because I'm feeling rather bloody offended right now!"

He paused for a brief moment before replying. "The Muffliato, the wards… they didn't inhibit you because I was the one who cast them. Similarly, the castle grants you access to my quarters because it detects that you… you also bear my magical signature."

"Considering it's carved into me, I think I realized that already," the girl responded holding up her hands. "Why would that have offended me anymore than it did before? I've come to terms with that –"

"No, not just my signature," he clarified, leaning toward her. "My magical signature. The castle, the wards, the fucking charm – they all recognize it… they all think that you belong to me – like a fucking house-elf! Do you understand now where I might have thought you would have been offended? Do you see now why I didn't think that was something you would want to know?"

Hermione silently stared at him for several seconds. Her shoulders then slumped as her gaze drifted to the floor. "That's why?"

At hearing her small voice, Snape immediately regretted his angered tone. "Yes. I didn't want you to… to ever think of yourself in that manner… especially when you already have to portray it to the Dark Lord."

The witch squeezed her eyes shut and pushed at her forehead with the butt of her hand. A moment later, she shrugged her shoulders and gave a loud sigh. "Yes, I find it offensive, but I still think you should have told me whenever it was you figured it out. The knowledge doesn't really benefit me now, but what if it does later? I mean, what if it had been someone else you had been talking to with the Muffliato and I accidentally revealed that I could hear you? What if it had been Remus, for instance? Or Draco even?"

He raised one eyebrow in contemplation for a moment and then smirked. "You are far too intelligent for your own good."

"And you're far too good at lying for yours," she returned seriously while wiping her eyes again.

"I may agree with you on the general," the wizard murmured as he turned just enough to adjust the height of the flames licking at the base of the cauldron. "However, it did not seem to hold true enough to get us out of that mess."

Her eyes followed his outstretched hand in the direction of the corridor, and she offhandedly wondered how long she had before Madam Pomfrey would rush in to begin fussing over her.

"I've instructed her to wait until you've finished brewing at least," Severus stated. When she glared at him in response, he cleared his throat. "I'm not… listening. I just happen to be familiar with Poppy's overbearing nature."

The girl pinched her lips together in understanding and then sank down against her stool. For nearly a minute, she said nothing as she watched him expertly filter out and dispose of the un-dissolved remnants from the potion. A part of her really wanted to remain angry with him for the hurt feelings he had caused, but seeing him standing there in hospital-issued pajamas with his hair slightly unkempt and a pallor more pronounced than usual made it utterly impossible. She could not get the image of his broken body out of her head, and she knew that he should still be resting instead of brewing.

With a sigh, Hermione pushed off of the seat and moved to the workbench. "I should be doing that."

He eyed her appraisingly and then gave a stiff nod. When he handed her the stirring rod, she very carefully took it, making sure not to touch his hand.

"She really cares about you, you know," she mumbled after he had perched on the stool she had just vacated. "Madam Pomfrey."

"I do know," he sighed, leaning one elbow against the counter behind him. "Why do think she gave me the chance to explain myself first before hexing bits off?"

The witch gave a brief smirk but otherwise did not respond.

"While we're on the topic of hexing bits off," Snape murmured a moment later, "Remus has requested to sit in on one of our sessions. I informed him that I would allow it only at your discretion."

A groan escaped her lips as she slouched against the table. Huffing loudly, she rubbed her temples. "Fine. If I say no, he'll just keep trying anyway."

"Mm," he agreed with a nod of his head. "I will tell him at supper, then, to meet us tomorrow evening in the classroom for dueling."

"Fine."

The Slytherin scratched his eyebrow as he watched her maneuver about the work station. "Of course, that does mean that the bond must be dealt with today. I do not imagine we should wait until Tuesday?"

When she widened her eyes in horror and shook her head, he inhaled deeply. "Then it will be today."

"Are you even able to do so?" she asked without turning. "You were barely breathing last night."

He grimaced as he folded his arms to his chest. "I will manage."

"Alright," the girl stated quietly. After a few minutes, she cleared her throat. "Severus? How long do you suppose the curse recognizes a command?"

The wizard narrowed his brow and shook his head. "I have no idea."

"Well, if it does so for any longer than half a day, you had better correct it," she muttered.

"Correct it?" he asked; confusion evident on his face. "What do you mean?"

Hermione glanced over her shoulder. "Last night, you told me not to touch you."

"I did?"

She nodded nervously. "You did, and… well, that would make renewing the bond rather difficult, I think."

"It would," the man replied painfully. "I am sorry. It was not meant to be said. You may… touch me if you like."

"Thank you," the witch mumbled awkwardly, returning her attention to the cauldron. Tense silence reigned over the room for several long minutes before she dared to ask the question that had kept her awake the entire night. "Why did he hurt you?"

Snape's eyes flew open as he had started drifting off a moment before, and he shifted uncomfortably on the stool. "Well, it seems that you and Poppy are not the only ones upset at me for not having been entirely forthcoming with information."

"What information?"

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The final hour of that potion is the most critical. You cannot be distracted."

"Severus, you promised –"

"And I will tell you," the man interrupted, rising from the stool, "when I have the time and energy to do so properly. But that isn't today, nor is it tomorrow as we shall be far too busy dog-sitting. After your flying lesson on Thursday, we will discuss it."

"But—"

"Not open for debate, Granger," he stated sharply, crossing to the doorway. "When you've finished this and finally escaped Poppy's clutches, you may send word and I shall meet you in the Room of Requirement. I do not think I will keep awake long after supper, so it would be best to see to it beforehand."

"Fine," the girl sighed, watching him leave.

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

Three hours later, Hermione slowly ambled up to the seventh floor while under a Disillusionment charm. As it was only late afternoon, she did not want to run the risk of being stopped by anyone in the corridor since she had put it off long enough already.

She had triple-checked the seal on each of the flasks of the completed Blood-Replenishing Potion, and had spent far more time than necessary making sure that they were perfectly lined up on the shelf in the storeroom. Madam Pomfrey had taken up quite a bit of time herself, casting every extensive detection and diagnosing charm she knew upon the girl. The nurse had given Hermione half a dose of a headache reliever to remove the slight bit of pressure found there and a Pepper-Up Potion to sort out one blocked sinus cavity and the general fatigue that accompanied a night filled with stress and no sleep. The mediwitch had been far fussier than usual, even going so far as to give a quick hug before sending her through the Floo to the kitchens, but the girl offered no complaints, simply because it wasted time. And when the House-elves made her a plate of small sandwiches, she had eaten them at a glacial pace.

Hermione took in a deep breath as she reached the empty corridor outside of the magical room. After sending her mental patronus and hearing a terse reply from the wizard that he was on his way, she began pacing in front of the span of wall. On her third pass, the door appeared, and she wasted no further time in stepping across the threshold.

Her stomach plummeted sharply as she glanced about the space. The provided room was exactly the same as it had been during their early encounters. The same cheery lighting; the same taupe walls; the same clinical feeling. Crossing over to the bed, she realized that it was probably quite fitting of the situation. He wanted her to be more detached from her emotions, and this was where she had best accomplished that feat. With that thought in mind, it was no mystery as to why she had been dreading this moment almost as much as she had for the first few renewals.

With a flick of her wand, she cancelled the Disillusionment charm and then cast aside her school robes. Deciding that she wanted it over with as quickly as possible, she also toed off her shoes and unfastened her jeans. After removing those, she climbed onto the middle of the bed to wait.

Within a few minutes, the door opened just wide enough for the wizard to slip into the space. He paused briefly, eyeing the room in surprise, before shedding his teaching robes and revealing that he was still wearing the dark pajamas instead of his usual attire.

Catching her questioning gaze as he handed her the contraceptive, Severus shrugged his shoulders before sitting down to remove his boots. "If I'm just going to take them off anyway, why waste the energy to change?"

Hermione gave a nod of comprehension and rested her chin against her knees after ingesting the potion. As she watched him disrobe, her eyes were immediately drawn to the multitude of pink lines spanning his torso where skin had been freshly regrown, and she noticed that he appeared to be favoring his right arm. She frowned briefly as she wondered whether he was still feeling pain.

"Hermione?" His fingers lifted up her chin, and her gaze gradually met his.

"Can we… make this quick?" she asked after ducking her head.

"If that is what you would prefer," he stated slowly as he moved into the space beside her. "I cannot technically guarantee it being anything but that."

The girl sighed and nodded. "Well, you're injured, and I'm tired… and I have homework, and you have… Remus."

"All fair points," Snape murmured, adjusting to lie along her side. When she finally stretched out against the bed, he raised his body over hers slightly and gently sought her lips.

Though she opened her mouth to him and returned his kisses, the witch forced herself to keep control of her head. If they needed to keep as much time between their renewals as possible, she knew that she could not let herself enjoy them as thoroughly as she had during the past few months. As horrible as that sounded, however, she did not want to face the humiliation of enduring another day while in constant arousal. She could not fathom what might have happened had Professor McGonagall not recognized that she was in distress and had Severus not had a moment free.

"Are you alright?" he whispered in the midst of kissing down the length of her neck.

"F-fine," Hermione stammered.

"You're exceptionally tense."

The witch swallowed anxiously, trying desperately to fight off the jolts of pleasure that coursed through her system as his left hand massaged her breast through the material of her shirt. "I just… I won't hurt you, will I?"

The wizard snorted softly and shook his head. "Unless you're planning on subjecting me to the Cruciatus at any point during the venture, I shall be relatively fine. I highly doubt I'll have much stamina at the moment, however."

Thank God. It was already hard enough to ignore the physical effects he was having on her body. Surely, she would not be able to keep hold of her emotions or logic for any great length of time. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. "It's alright. I don't mind."

She sucked in a surprised breath when he pushed up her t-shirt and ran his hand over her stomach. His mouth found its way back to hers, and she ground her pelvis against his leg in the hopes that he would take the message and get on with it. Her shields were dangerously close to slipping as it was, and the sensation of his hands upon her bare breasts would surely tip them to the breaking point.

A shiver rippled through her body when she felt him smirk against her lips, and an odd combination of panic and anticipation settled into her stomach as his fingertips dipped beneath the waistband of her knickers.

"Oh God," she whimpered. "No."

"No?" He stilled immediately.

"Please…just… just you," Hermione fumbled for an explanation. "Now."

Snape narrowed his gaze in confusion, but relented. He quickly rid each of them of their underwear and settled himself within the cradle of her hips.

A loud gasp escaped her mouth as he entered her, and she very nearly gave up on occluding altogether. Somehow, she managed to regain control of herself after a long – and incredibly enjoyable – moment, and forced herself to focus on anything but the pleasure threatening to invade every cell of her body. Her greatest success came when she rested her hands upon his collarbone. His skin was quite warm and covered in perspiration, and as he continued to thrust into her, his muscles were flexing in a manner eerily reminiscent of the onset of the tremors that had consumed him several times during the night. Keeping that firmly placed in her mind, it seemed like hardly any time had passed before the wizard above her gave a strangled cry and released his hot seed deep within her.

Severus was panting heavily and she could feel that his arms were quivering with exertion as he withdrew and collapsed beside her. "Hermione… I'm sorry. You didn't –"

"It's okay," she interrupted quickly, pushing up onto her elbow. "I'm fine… really."

"I could –"

"No, it's fine." The witch slipped away from him and snatched her knickers and jeans up from the floor. "I meant it when I said I wanted it to be over quickly. I have things to do."

The Potions Master bore a tentative expression as he watched her hurriedly redress. "Are you quite certain that you're alright?"

"Yes, fine," Hermione repeated as she fastened the clasp of her school robes. "It's only a short walk to my dormitory, so I'll just shower there."

Blurting out a final word of good-bye, the girl slipped out into the corridor and wrapped her arms about her waist as she quickly strode toward the Fat Lady's portrait. After giving the correct password, she sprinted up the staircase to the Prefect's room to accomplish the only remaining task she had planned for the afternoon – having a good cry in the shower.

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

"Severus?"

The Slytherin Head let out a deep sigh as he eyed Hermione's scowl and then glanced toward the open door. "Through the storeroom!"

"Oh," Remus murmured as he stepped into view. "I didn't realize there was an adjoining classroom."

"Well, I figured you could use that snout of yours to sniff us out," Snape grumbled, pushing off of the desk against which he had been perched. "Close the doors."

As the Defense instructor followed the instruction, the dark-haired wizard turned his attention back toward the girl who was pointedly staring at the floor. Her behavior the evening before had concerned him, but he had not had the energy to deal with it at the time. He was quite certain that Poppy had laced one of the pain relieving potions with a slow-acting sleeping draft since he had passed out rather quickly after Hermione had rather oddly disappeared into the corridor.

He should have known to take one of his own supply before heading up to the Room of Requirement instead of tossing back what she had given him. Because of his shortsightedness, he had barely woken up with enough time to use the shower provided by the Room before rushing down to breakfast in the Great Hall. Thankfully, the Room had also seen fit to deliver a fresh pair of clothing, for he would have rather taken another round of the Cruciatus in lieu of having to teach in his pajamas.

"Hello, Hermione," Lupin smiled gently as he came to stand nearer the pair. "How have you been?"

"Fine," she muttered, adjusting her sleeves.

Severus pinched his lips together as he took in her reaction to the werewolf. She had claimed the same with him numerous times, and he was fairly certain that 'fine' meant anything but the word. Sighing, he rolled his shoulders. "Well, now that that's established, shall we get on with it?"

"Of course," the other man nodded, stepping back to where there was a chair. "I don't mean to hold you up in the least. I'm merely here to observe."

"Shall I have the elves fetch you a bowl of popcorn?" the Potions Master asked, earning a snort from his student. "Or a large bone for you to gnaw on, perhaps?"

Remus chuckled and shook his head. "I'm alright."

"Fantastic," he grumbled, wordlessly casting a Stinging Hex as he turned back to the girl.

"Protego!" Hermione gasped, barely managing to block it.

Snape fixed her with a trying look. "Granger, we were working on strengthening your nonverbals, were we not?"

"I know, I know," she mumbled, shifting her stance. "I just wasn't ready for it that time."

"My apologies," he sneered, leaning back against a desk. "I should have waited until you were done daydreaming."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I wasn't day… dreaming!"

The man smirked when she paused in the middle of her protest to shield against his second attack. "Better."

After the witch successfully blocked half a dozen silent hexes, Severus stood to his full height and shrugged out of his teaching robes. "Shall we see how long you can hold a shield?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Verbally or non?"

"Which do you think?" he returned.

The girl winced at the stupidity of her question. "Nonverbal."

"And why might that be?"

"Because if I can cast strong nonverbals, it'll mean that I am more in tune with my inner magic," she answered, closing her eyes briefly. "And if I have a higher awareness of that, my verbals will subsequently be strengthened as well."

Snape grunted in affirmation and then brandished his wand.

"Which type of shield?"

"I should think a personal Contego would be best to start," he replied. "We can progress to another variation later. Perhaps if we can find a volunteer… you might be able to practice the Protego Amicus?"

Remus raised his eyebrows in slight surprise when the other man swept his dark gaze in his direction. Shifting in his seat, he scratched his temple. "The partner-shield? I suppose that I could –"

"Excellent," the Slytherin interrupted. "Shall we begin then?"

Hermione gave a hesitant nod and focused her magic on producing an extended shield about her person. When the first few hexes fizzled harmlessly into the invisible layer of protection, she smiled in satisfaction. The grin slowly faded from her countenance, however, upon noticing that Severus appeared slightly out-of-breath, and it disappeared entirely when another barrage of spells obliterated her shield, allowing one Stinging Hex to catch her on the thigh.

"Ouch!" she hissed, jumping back to rub the irritated spot.

"You lost focus," the wizard snapped. "You're to focus only on defending yourself if you expect to succeed."

"Sorry," she mumbled, producing another wordless Contego. This time she kept her attention tuned solely on defeating the numerous spells blasting into her shield. Several minutes seemed to pass as the magic became increasingly more difficult to maintain. Her arms were beginning to shake, and her teeth ground together slightly as she grimaced with exertion. When she finally could not hold it any longer, she released the spell and fell to the floor, narrowly avoiding getting hit in the face with another jet of light.

"Did you mean to do that?" Snape asked, gesturing to where she had collapsed into a heap.

"Not exactly," she panted, pulling herself into a seated position. "I just… completely lost it."

He grunted in response and then conjured a glass, which he subsequently filled with a silent Aguamenti. Handing her the glass of water, he tilted his head. "The execution was obviously poor, but appropriate all the same. Clearly, when your shields fail, you still need to respond to the threat. In the future, before you completely lose it, you should devote the energy you do have left to physically get out of the way."

"Makes sense," Hermione murmured, between sips of water. "Are we doing that again?"

"Eventually, yes," the wizard smirked. "Tonight, no. It would be a waste of your energy."

Given an understanding nod, she wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her jumper. "Now what?"

"Lupin earns his keep," Severus replied, gesturing curtly for the other wizard to stand.

"The partner-shield?" she asked nervously as she picked herself up from the ground.

Her tutor shook his head. "It will tire you faster, so unless you wish for me to hex him outright… No? Pity."

"So… I'm doing what exactly?" Remus queried, stepping forward.

The other wizard cleared his throat and folded his arms to his chest. "You are going to give her the chance to practice dueling against another individual who is accomplished in nonverbal magic."

"What?" the girl gasped.

Snape glanced back at her in mild censure. "The broader your experience is in dueling, the better prepared you will be against an unknown opponent."

Hermione took in deep breath before finally nodding.

'Plus, it shall give you ample opportunity to hex him yourself,' he explained mentally as he came to stand behind the werewolf. When the girl giggled under her breath in response to the comment, Remus peered over his shoulder to see his former classmate staring back at him with an innocent expression.

"Yes?" the taller wizard purred.

"Would you… Could you stand over there, perhaps?" the Defense instructor asked quietly.

"Paranoid, are we, Lupin?" With a dangerous smirk on his face and his hands linked behind his back, Severus did as requested. For the next half hour or so, he monitored the exchange between the two Gryffindors, offering advice to Hermione and criticisms to each of them whenever he deemed it necessary. He could tell she was tiring when her blocks became haphazard and the spells she cast began landing farther and farther from the intended target. It was clear that her opponent had noticed as well, for he had gradually eased his assault.

Recognizing that there was little value left in the session, the Slytherin Head was about to call for a ceasefire when the young witch decided to end the match on her own.

"Expelliarmus!" she shouted desperately, catching them both off-guard and knocking Remus's wand out of his hand with such force that he had to shake the pain out of his hand.

Catching sight of Snape's amused expression, Hermione blushed and wrinkled her nose. "I know it was cheating, but I can't focus any longer. If I'm to stay awake through Potions tomorrow, I need to be done."

"So be it," he nodded.

"Thank you, sir. I'll see you in class," she replied, snatching up her school robes and heading for the exit.

"You did exceptionally well, Hermione," Remus called after her, receiving an awkward half-smile from the girl before she disappeared. He bent down to collect his wand and then stuck his stinging knuckle into his mouth.

Severus eyed him with disdain. "Are you honestly sucking on your thumb?"

With an embarrassed grimace, the greying man dropped his hand to his side and cleared his throat. "I cannot quite believe the level of skill she's gained. It far exceeds even what I witnessed of her in class."

"Of course it does. You would have been finding tiny pieces of Longbottom if she had not held herself in check."

"I imagine so," Lupin nodded, folding his arms to his chest. "You've done extraordinary work with her, Severus. I cannot deny that."

The Potions Master stared at him in apprehension. "Why do I sense that I will shortly have the urge to hex you?"

The man shifted uncomfortably and scratched his eyebrow. "Well… I couldn't help but notice that when she would lose focus, she was looking in your direction."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Snape growled, throwing on his outer robes. "If you're about to suggest she fancies me, you had better swallow your tongue. As for her wandering eyes, you have our esteemed Deputy Headmistress and matron nurse to thank."

"What do you mean by that?"

The dark-haired wizard sighed as he fastened the article of clothing. "They deemed it wise to have Granger assist in the semi-annual put-the-pieces-of-Severus-back-together-after-the- Dark-Lord-has-a-righteous-shit-fit event that took place Saturday evening."

The werewolf's eyes widened in shock. "Severus, I didn't know. What happened?"

The spy glared at him. "The Dark Lord had a righteous shit-fit over not having been told something, and it took three witches the better part of a night to sort out the damage. That's what happened."

"Yes, but why?"

"You may ask the Headmaster if you're so bloody curious," Snape responded shortly before striding toward the storeroom.

Remus winced as he followed through the narrow space into the Potions classroom. "I'm sorry. It isn't my place to pry. I didn't mean anything by it, and I feel awful that you had to undergo whatever torture he saw fit to implement. You didn't deserve it."

"It has happened before, it will happen again," the Slytherin sighed dismissively. "There is no need for you to get your tail bent out of shape over it."

"Yes, there is!" he protested. "Despite what has happened between us in the past, I do still want to be able to consider you a friend. Why can't you accept that?"

"Why?" the dark-robed wizard repeated, turning so sharply on his heel that the other man nearly slammed into his chest. "Perhaps it's because I can count on one hand the people who actually mean it when they say they care about me and still have fingers left over! Or perhaps it's because not half an hour after the last time you were moping on about wanting to be friends you were slamming my head against the bathroom floor! So forgive me if I don't believe you now."

Lupin exhaled slowly and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, whether you believe it or not, I still mean it. I hope that one day you can see what's true and accept it."

Severus watched the other man move toward the door to the corridor and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lupin. You should probably keep a wary eye open if ever you leave the castle."

The Gryffindor gave a sad snort under his breath as he pulled open the door. "What else is new?"

XxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxX

"Bugger all," Severus grumbled after wearily dropping into his armchair. Kicking off his boots, he rested his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes.

Something was wrong with Hermione, and it had to do with him. Her reaction to him had taken a noticeable turn for the worse in the aftermath of his summoning. She had barely met his eyes at any point since then, and she had not been so distant and unresponsive during sex since the night she had first been called by Voldemort.

He could not quite believe that it could all be attributed to her concern over his physical well-being, however. Undoubtedly, seeing him in such a state had affected her, and it was likely that she had naively assumed partial responsibility for the Dark Lord's vitriol.

Despite the tyrant's suggestion that the girl have his bloodied body for mending practice, Snape had had no intention of actually allowing that. When he had finally managed to drag himself back to the castle gates, Minerva had somehow known to be waiting for him. He had tried to tell her not to let Hermione see him, but either she had blatantly disregarded him or he had inadvertently passed out before managing to make it clear. Either way, he had not been thrilled to regain consciousness just to find out they had pressed her into service. Remembering how she had immediately blamed herself for his pre-Christmas bout of 'encouragement' from the Dark Lord, he had assumed she would have done the same again and, as such, wanted her as far from that room as possible.

Groaning softly, he rubbed his face and glanced over at the sofa where the ginger-furred cat was stretched out along the cushions. An odd urge suddenly settled into his mind, and the man stood from his chair, moving to slide onto the end of the couch instead. The creature raised its head long enough to blink sleepily at him before nestling against his thigh.

"It's been a while since you've had the nerve to show your face in here," Snape mumbled, earning himself a throaty purr. "Think I've forgiven you for bringing the wrath of the wolf down on me, have you?"

Throwing open his mouth in a yawn, Crookshanks stretched out all of his limbs and then rested his chin atop the wizard's leg. He continued to purr loudly as the man scratched behind his ears.

The Slytherin sighed, resting his other hand on the armrest of the sofa. As ridiculous as it sounded, he was somewhat relieved to have the furry nuisance back. His quarters had seemed depressingly empty since the events of his birthday had made it necessary to preclude the witch from visiting so frequently.

As the feline rubbed his cheek against Snape's hand, the wizard frowned, recalling that Hermione had said that he had ordered her not to touch him. He did not remember that bit at all – shouting at Poppy to remove the girl from the room, yes, but not anything about Hermione touching him. Squeezing his eyes shut, he focused on the fractured memories of that evening. The mediwitch had mentioned something about the young witch having tried to comfort him, but what that meant, he was not certain. He vaguely recalled the sensation of fingers against his cheek, but that had to have been Bellatrix.

Hadn't it been? He remembered her purposely touching him before unleashing her jealous fury upon his flesh. And she had continued to do so several times over the course of the few hours that she and the Lestrange brothers had been given to turn him into the bloody, broken mass that he had been.

But something still did not quite make sense. He could pull forth flashes of the torture session, followed by Minerva, followed by more pain and Bellatrix's touches, before finally coming to in a hazy fog in the infirmary. No one at Hogwarts had subjected him to further injury, and Minerva certainly would not have allowed the Death Eaters past the gates for a second round. Either his memory was faulty, or he had been hallucinating.

Oh gods. Severus leaned forward, covering his face with his hands as everything suddenly clicked into place. The aftershocks, the intrusive healing spells, and the bone regeneration – somehow his addled brain must have attributed the pain associated with those to further torment. It would explain why Poppy had to tell him that Hermione was only there to help. She had been the one stroking his cheek then, as a gesture of comfort, not of humiliation.

And that meant that she had been the one he had yelled at, not Bellatrix. It was her hand he had violently thrown away from him, not Bellatrix's. She was the one he had called a bitch, not Bellatrix.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he hissed, lurching out of his seat. He ran his hands through his hair in despair as he paced in front of the fireplace. It was no wonder that Hermione did not want to be alone with him – she was frightened of him.

And she had every right to be.