Bane stared down at his fingers.
The fingers that Hermione had just… He couldn't even wrap his head around what happened.
The source of his confusion went about sorting and folding various items around their cell.
How could she be so nonchalant after what happened?
Or… maybe he was thinking too much about what occurred.
Perhaps she didn't want him to ruin his towel or maybe she just really liked pineapple.
"Hey." She touched his arm. "Are you okay?"
"I am fine."
"Are you sure?" At his annoyed look, she took a step back. "Okay. Can we go down for a shower in a while? I haven't had one since you've been gone."
He gave her a quick once over, her hair was pulled back into a plait and her skin looked a little dirty.
But she still looked lovely.
"Yes, but later. It was a challenging few days and I need to rest."
"I understand, let me know when you're ready."
Bane gingerly laid down on his cot. It was still warm.
His eyes felt heavy.
The experiments took a toll on his body, but more importantly they took a toll on his mind.
The body could heal, but if the mind is broken, there is often no return.
Crane tried numerous times to alter his mind with drugs and experiments.
The few times he succeeded, Bane found his mind trapped in an endless cycle of the day Talia escaped.
The other prisoners tearing his body apart, breaking his bones and calling him a traitor.
Waking up was almost as painful as reliving the memories.
xxx
'Goodbye, my friend."
Bane woke with a start.
So many painful memories, but this was the one that haunted him.
He blinked as he looked around the cell.
It was dark.
Hermione was reading by candlelight.
The shadows danced across her face. A small upturn in her mouth gave away her smile.
Their eyes met.
"Bad dream?"
"Something like that."
"Do you want to talk about it?" She made her way over to him.
"Not especially."
"Are you sure, it's not healthy to keep things bottled up."
Bane heaved a sigh.
There she was again, showing her caring side. Bane wanted nothing more than to accept her offer. But he couldn't allow her to grow any closer.
"Hermione, I will never want to speak about my dreams."
"But Bane-"
"I will not repeat myself!"
Hermione flinched.
"I'm s-sorry Bane, I won't ask again."
"Good. Would you like to head down to the showers now?"
"You sure you don't mind?"
"I am in as much need as you are."
"I must really look like shit."
His eyes glanced over at her. Her face was downcast as she collected her towel.
"Hermione, you look fine."
"Please don't lie to me."
His brows creased.
"If I said-"
"Are you ready to go now?"
"Yes, but we will have to be quick." The others will be out in droves now that he's back. They know Hermione would only shower with him as a guard.
He opened the cell door and patiently waited for Hermione to join him.
The door closed behind them, and he placed the obligatory hand on the back of her neck.
Keeping up appearances was a must.
No doubt many of the other inmates had heard of his mask's failure and were looking to stake their claim on Hermione.
A quick look at the upper level and he noticed Abraham and his crew circled above. Like vultures waiting to pounce on his prey.
He paused in his step.
Abraham had an odd look on his face that slowly morphed into a smile.
"Next time, feel free to stay away. I enjoy watching your little pet. Maybe one day she will be my bitch."
"Bane? What's wrong? What did he say?" Hermione whispered.
Some of the men began whispering and lightly laughed down at them.
"Did something happen with Abraham when you were alone?"
He saw no point in beating around the bush.
Hermione's shoulders tensed slightly.
"...There were a few times he was outside our cell. Just... watching me. He said that there would be a day when you wouldn't return. And if I was lucky... I could be his whore."
Bane looked up at the man with venom.
Abraham only laughed.
"Hermione, I think we should postpone our shower."
"What? Come on, please. I smell rotten and need to wash my hair." She implored him.
"We are not safe out here."
"We're never safe, Bane."
He looked back towards Hermione. She didn't look afraid. She looked rather annoyed with the idea of postponing their shower.
He had to admire her bravery.
"We must be quick." He made a show of guiding her towards the showers.
There were three men already using the facilities. Bane ordered them out.
They were quick to follow his directions.
They all knew what he was capable of.
Quick as they could manage, they stripped and selected their showers.
Bane made quick work of his cleaning routine, all the while keeping an eye on Hermione beside him.
She sighed contently under the spray.
His eyes wandered on their own accord. Tracing a line from her forehead all the way down to her toes.
He felt the familiar stirring in his stomach.
No, don't be like them.
Bane averted his gaze. He couldn't afford to let his baser instincts take over.
His hands began to scrub.
Images flashed in his mind.
Hermione.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
The harder he scrubbed the more images appeared.
"Bane?"
"Yes?" He didn't look at her. Just continued to scrub away non-existent dirt.
"Is everything okay?"
Again with the questions about his wellbeing.
"I am fine, my dear."
"You're scratching your arms again." He heard wet footsteps.
His eyes widened when he felt her behind him.
He turned quickly to see Hermione standing in his stall.
He balked at her actions. What was she thinking?
Hermione-" He stopped himself from looking down at her. "What are you doing?"
"Here." She began to use her cloth to cleanse his arms. "There, that's better."
"Hermione…" He chanced a glance above. The others were looking down in curiosity. "We are not alone."
And they were both very naked.
She was so close to him.
Smiling at him.
The men began whispering.
"I know. I just thought you needed my help-"
His hand shot out around her throat.
She gasped audibly and tried to pry his hands away from her.
He wasn't using his full strength.
"I brought you down here to clean yourself, not to take liberties. You are my pet, not my equal!"
"B-but," Tears misted in her eyes. "I just wanted to-"
"Know your place!" He shouted for the whole prison to hear.
Hermione's eyes widened in fear.
It was something he hasn't seen since her first time in his cell.
The others began to back away.
"I can see that I need to teach you another lesson!" His hands began to move her backwards.
A few began nodding and smiling with approval at Bane's actions.
He subtly shielded her body with his giant frame. He didn't need the men getting any more mental images of Hermione.
"Get dressed!" He ordered and practically dragged her out of the stall. "I will deal with you when we are alone!"
He implored with his eyes for her to know why he was doing this.
Hermione wiped away falling tears as she threw on her clothes.
Another quick look and he found that most of the men were watching in quiet fascination, but none dared to speak or come near them.
He hurriedly dressed and gathered their items. Hermione was struggling to get into her shoes.
"Hurry up!"
Her hands were shaking.
Once she was ready, he took her arm and quickly dragged her up towards their cell.
"Bane! Slow dow-"
"Be quiet!" He shouted.
The others were still watching.
He caught Abraham's eye.
Abraham's cool demeanour from before melted away. He was back to being a scared little man who couldn't look Bane in the eye.
Good.
He practically threw her into the cell and slammed the door shut.
Hermione cowered into the corner as he made sure that all the privacy sheets were in place.
Once he was certain that no one could see in, he went to check that she was alright.
Hermione was breathing shallowly as he crouched down to her level.
"Hermione?"
She flinched at his voice. He didn't try to touch her.
"I'm sorry. I was just trying to help. You were scratching…"
"We were being watched. You cannot show that you are not afraid of me. Hermione, we are surrounded by murderers and rapists. Men who have not touched a woman in a decade. They cannot believe that we are close." He explained.
Hermione was still shaking in fear, but found the strength to look at him.
"But they think you're having sex with me."
"Yes, but those men believe you are unwilling. If they see that you are not afraid of me, then how can you be afraid of them?"
The silence was deafening as she considered his words.
A look of realisation came across her face.
Her hand slapped him across his cheek.
"Don't ever scare me like that again!"
His brow furrowed at his charge, the fear was replaced with anger.
"Do not put yourself in danger like that ever again."
"I understand why you did it, but it doesn't mean I'm happy about it. I know you're not used to having a... friend, but you didn't need to manhandle me like that. If you had just told me to stop I would have listened."
"It astounds me how naïve you can be for someone so clever. You are lucky I did not throw you over my shoulder. You need to play your part when we are outside this cell. You should not be this comfortable around me." He reminded.
"I know." She sighed dejectedly. "But I just missed you so much." She wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I was so scared you wouldn't come back and I'd be here all alone." She whispered against his neck.
Bane didn't know how to respond. The last person he hugged was little Talia.
Before she escaped.
And he was left all alone.
"I am here. You are safe." He paused as she relaxed slightly into his embrace. "I will do everything in my power to protect you."
Xxx
Hermione sniffled as she pulled back.
Bane had scared her down at the showers when he shouted at her.
She understood why the whole prison and the guards were terrified of him.
When they were in the shower, she did only mean to help. His nails left long welts on his arms.
It's not the first time he's done that.
He was usually so patient and calm. He meditated and was regiment with his exercise regime.
Hermione felt his thumb gently trace her pulse. Her breath hitched as he brushed her skin.
"You will have a bruise."
"What?" She felt her neck. It was tender and hot.
"I must have grabbed you harder than I realised."
His eyes traced over her skin, thumb gently swiping back and forth.
"It doesn't hurt that much."
"It would probably be for the best if you stayed out of sight while you heal."
Hermione thought about that, about staying hidden while she healed. Like a coward.
But then she remembered that she was a Gryffindor.
If there was evidence of Bane's torment, then the others wouldn't suspect a thing.
"Let them see what you did to your pet. It may keep them at bay if they think you'll hurt me."
Bane thought about her reasoning. It may help establish their credibility in the pit.
"Yes, we will let them know I am still the Bane of this hell."
Bane stood and held out his hand to her. She allowed him to help her stand.
His calloused hand smoothed over her hand.
"Are you certain you are okay?"
"I'll be fine, I have you looking out for me."
Bane dropped her hand.
She felt like that wasn't what he wanted to hear. But it was what she wanted to say.
Hermione began to plait her hair. It felt so good to be clean after feeling the dirt build up.
She was so happy in the shower that she didn't really care that all those men were watching her.
But Bane was right, she was making herself a greater target and putting an even bigger bullseye on Bane's back.
She wasn't the only one in danger here.
"I think I might stay away from the showers for a little bit."
"I will collect water so you can bathe up here if you wish."
This was going to be her life. Bane taking care of her.
She couldn't even leave the cell without him.
"Listen, I think I need more training."
"Why?"
"What happened down there just now, when you wrapped your hand around my neck, I froze and didn't even try to fight you off."
"You could not have fought me off even if you had wanted to."
Hermione swallowed audibly at the thought.
"I know, but that doesn't mean I couldn't fight off someone weaker. I just need more practice."
"In time Hermione. But not today. In time, I will get you ready to rely on yourself."
Hermione's stomach felt queasy at the thought of being on her own again. She didn't want to leave Bane's cell. The man was still a bit of a mystery to her. She wanted to know more about him.
Her eyes landed on his little cabinet beside his cot. She had never looked inside while he was away with that strange American doctor. It was very hard to get total privacy in the prison and Bane had been here his whole life. She didn't want to abuse his trust.
But she wouldn't lie and say she wasn't curious.
His giant back always obscured her view from seeing inside.
There were times she could have sworn he was talking to something.
Her mysterious cellmate was an enigma, one she was determined to solve.