Feeling guilty about not helping Ginny as much as she should, Hermione volunteers to patrol during the Halloween feast. That is how she ends up wandering the castle corridors alone that evening. The first indication that something is not right is when she feels the tell-tale thump of a stunning spell hit her squarely between the shoulder blades.

It doesn't work. Her clothes are charmed to resist that kind of nonsense. Still, the force of the spell still sends here reeling. There is nothing playful about the way that spell was cast, Hermione realizes. She feels a small trickle of genuine fear as she regains her balance and turns around to face her attacker. Behind her, the corridor is empty. Then she feels something wet and cold press over her mouth and nose, and everything goes dark.

She awakens in the dark. Her wrists are tied together over head. Her ankles are bound together. She is blindfolded.

"What now?" she hears through the darkness. She recognizes the voice of a sixth year Slytherin.

"Supposed to wait here." says another male voice

"Don't suppose he'd care if we had a little fun with her first, do you? Always wondered what the Gryffindor Princess looks like without all those clothes-"

"No," says the other voice, "We wait."

"C'mon, at least let me have a peek… "

Hermione feels the hem of her skirt being lifted up. Without much hope of it working, she opens her right hand and thinks, 'Accio wand!' with as much force as she can muster. She hears one of the boys yelp with surprise and then her wand is in her hand.

"Reducto!" she roars, breaking her bonds. Then, "Stupefy!"

Before she can survey the damage she has done, the only door to the room bursts open in a flash of green light. Hermione shoots off another stunning spell, this one nonverbal, hoping to surprise her attacker.

He swats it away with an easy, graceful gesture. "Really, Miss Granger?"

"Professor Snape!" Hermione cries, bursts into tears, and throws her arms around him.

Snape grunts as she hits him, quite hard considering her lack of stature, and puts his arms around her. "Easy, Miss Granger," he says low and soft in her ear as he strokes her short hair, "It's over. You didn't even need my help. How did you stun them?"

"Summoned my wand," she mumbles into his chest.

"Impressive, Miss Granger," Snape says and he is. He tips her face up to his, so he can look in her eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner. I'm going to talk to the Headmistress about being able to apparate within the castle."

Hermione nods. She doesn't really care what he is saying as long as he keeps stroking the side of her face like that. It feels divine.

"Now," he says, and makes to disentangle himself from her grasp. She let's out a little growl of discontent, but steps obediently out of his embrace.

"I need you to go finish the feast with your friends, Miss Granger. There can be no question as to your whereabouts while I do what needs to be done with these two, understand?"

Hermione's eyes go wide. "Professor, you can't!"

"Can't what?" he asks, his tone dangerous and his eyes hard. "Torture them until they tell me what I need to know? I can, I assure you."

"But you could go to Azkaban!" Hermione says, horrified.

Snape snorts. "Give me some credit, Miss Granger. I know how to cover my tracks."

"Please, Professor," Hermione's eyes are prickling with tears again. Ruthlessly, she forces them back down.

Snape takes a step toward her, closing the gap between them. He puts his hand on her cheek. "Tell me then, sweetheart, what did they mean to do to you once you were tied up and helpless."

"They were supposed to wait," Hermione whispers so quietly Snape can barely hear her. "But... " she trails off.

Snape goes perfectly still, his right hand frozen against her cheek. His face is completely blank, his eyes are dull, hard chips of glass.

"Run along to the feast now, Miss Granger. What happens next in here shouldn't be witnessed by a child."

"I'm not a child," she says, trembling a little at his terrifyingly blank expression, not backing down. But at her remark his control falters and she sees several emotions dart across his face within the span of a breath- dark humor, pain, longing, guilt-

Just as quickly his face is blank again. "No, I suppose you're not, are you? Nevertheless I must insist." He gestures politely to the door.

Knowing a lost cause when she sees one, Hermione flees the room.