Snape looked up from the desk from the chime indicating that someone was requesting entrance to the office. A smart flick of his wand adjusted the remaining mirror to look down over the gargoyle. Great, just perfect.

"Stay." He had let Hermione wander the office while he worked on getting the paperwork in order for the evening's meeting. He'd offered her a book but she had taken zero interest in it. Merely turning the pages before setting it aside to look at some odd decoration on the wall. He'd given her the draught of peace shortly after, not expecting her to become exceptionally clingy.

Presently, she sat curled up under his large desk between his legs. Her head rested on the bone of his knee while her finger lazily traced the pattern of wood in front of her. She hadn't really bothered him aside from the constant pressure on his knee so he'd let her stay. Her mind was floating on soft waves somewhere between being awake and asleep. He should have given her the potion sooner.

He hadn't thought to add extra security to the main entrance to the office as he fully believed it had been someone who came through the floo during the little break-in. Though now that he thought about it he considered adding more wards to the main door as well. It wouldn't help him now as the woman who had requested an audience was already up the steps and knocking at the door.

With a warning glare at the girl beneath his desk, he cleared his throat and gave bid to enter. Minerva strode in with her chin held high and a purse to her lips. Neither one of them had really spoken on peaceful terms since he took the role, rather avoiding the other in their various duties. When they had had to collaborate their tongues were short and their tempers shorter.

Snape never really had considered them friends before. Always standing on opposite ends of the Quidditch field when it came to doing Dumbledore's bidding. Minerva wasn't as enlightened as he when it came to certain aspects and it was something she had never really taken to being settled with.

"The list of returning students expected on the train tomorrow morning." Minerva held out the rolled scroll with a sharp flick, her eyes narrowing slightly. Something about him was off. She could see it, right there, in the far corner of his right eye. Something had happened.

"Thank you." He took the scroll with the same sharpness that it had been presented with, setting it down on the desk. "Is there anything else?"

Minerva frowned deeper and flicked her eyes over his head. She instantly took notice of the burnt out frame that Albus was supposed to be occupying. "You wouldn't have any idea why Albus had suddenly taken up residence on the fifth floor?"

"Is it in every Gryffindor's wont to ask questions to which they already know the answers?" His voice nearly cracked when the girl beneath the desk shifted. He could feel her hand running up his thigh and her shoulders pressing between his legs as she shifted just a bit closer to the apex.

Minerva harrumphed and folded her arms around her waist, "The Carrows have volunteered to take the train with the students."

"Noted." Snape shifted as carefully as he could, his hand pressing down on Hermione's head to keep her from coming up any further. He could feel her chin pressing into a most uncomfortable spot.

Minerva narrowed her eyes again but decided to take her leave. He looked tense, far worse than was normal for him, was his face red? Surely it was a trick of the light. She shook her head and turned on her heel, "Meeting is at seven o'clock."

Snape grunted and watched her retreat, though as soon as the door was closed he pushed himself back from the desk so fast that Hermione actually fell forward onto her hands and knees. The sight of which rose an unwanted thought.

"I told you to stay." His voice was tight and so was something else. He flexed his hands to keep himself in-line but when she looked up from the floor at him he felt something tick inside his brain.

"Hungry..." Her voice was timid and somewhat repenting.

Snape took a slow breath and ran a hand down his face. Merlin help him to survive the day. Another heavy sigh brought his hand down for her to take. She hadn't a clue about what she'd done to him and he was bound and determined to keep it that way.

"You can eat in your room." He ignored her pout and turned away once she was on her feet. What he wouldn't give to have the girl who had clocked him back. He had to do something. This was getting far too out of hand.

oOOo

"I wish we had the map. It would help you avoid Snape, and tell you when he's out of the office." Harry was idly flipping through one of Hermione's books, not really paying attention to the information it held within.

"Was it with your things that the Snatchers took from you?" Luna watched him with concern. He'd given her his sweater as hers was unable to be mended. The burnt material had made it too difficult for either of them to properly fix.

"Yeah, but it wasn't in the bag we recovered from them." Harry closed the book pushing it away.

Ron had gone out for a small walk inside their protected area. He hadn't said a word to either of them after their row that morning. Luna had wanted to apologize but Harry had stopped her. She wasn't at fault for any of this, he'd be damned if he was going to let her apologize for something she need not be apologizing for.

"I overheard one of the Snatchers during my time in the cellar. Apparently, they keep whatever they can't sell in a small house just on the edge of Hogsmeade. Something about using items found for leverage against families that may need to be persuaded."

Harry's eyes widened, would it really be possible to retrieve some of what was lost? "Do you think they might still have it?" He gave her his full attention now, turning back to face her properly. Maybe they had some of her things too, the Order hadn't found much when they'd searched the place, maybe the Snatchers had already taken what was of value.

"It's possible." Luna shrugged slightly, "Though I'm not sure how guarded it is. I don't think it would be wise to risk our lives for something so small."

"Your safety isn't small." Harry put his hand on her arm making her look directly at him, "If you're going to help us, you need to be safe too. You're just as important as we are."

"Thank you, Harry." Luna lowered her head and placed her hand on his.

oOo

A deep grumble left Snape's throat. He needed more information. He'd locked her away in her room hoping that perhaps the absence of his continued presence would help spark her to revert. She'd always reverted after sleeping before but he wasn't understanding why she hadn't this time. Something else was at play, but what was it?

His eyes tracked the titles over the oldest, darkest, of the restricted. He was so far down that he was sure even Granger had never been there. He wasn't sure why the school library would have even had such tomes but he wasn't about to dwell on it now.

He'd already found two books on slave curses. Both of which seemed promising at a glance. He needed to figure out a way to reverse its effects and remove it for his plan to even begin to take shape. His next task was proving insufferable to locate. He had been so sure Scrimgeor's notes would have been hidden away in one of the archives but was agitated to find that they had been removed. Now he looked through the main library trying to find anything he would have used as reference during his 'studies.'

He turned down another nearly pitch black aisle and raised his wand to see the spines. Even in the light of day this particular partition was always dark. Perhaps to ward off unwitting students. He was just about to give in when a book ever so slightly pulled out from the rest. Knowing the library had a mind of its own sometimes, he moved down to see.

The title looked promising, 'Minding Your Own, Magical Remedies for Mental Maladies.' He pulled the book from the shelf and flipped it open to the index. A cursory glance brought the lightest hope to his chest and he snapped the book shut slipping it into his enlarged pocket.

oOo

Hermione dropped the spoon she'd been eating her yogurt with. Her mind had very harshly switched over from one version of herself to the next. It was so abrupt that it left her spinning and her stomach rolling as if she were riding an upside-down rollercoaster.

She had been dreaming last she knew. A horrible unthinkable nightmare. Her eyes darted around the room as she tried to adjust to her surroundings. Not only was she not in bed, she was sitting up, dressed for the day and apparently having a meal. She closed her eyes for a long moment. It was getting worse... not just the time loss, but she could almost feel someone else inside her. Like they were growing stronger...fighting for control over her body.

How could two people possibly live in the same body? It didn't make sense. Of course, nothing in her life had made sense in quite some time. A slow sigh calmed the quaking in her stomach and a massaging hand to her temple eased the thumping. She was stronger than this, she had to be... Why did she feel so unbelievably exhausted?

oOo

"We're going to find the Snatcher's safe house." Harry had to tell Ron, even if he didn't want to take him it was dangerous to split up. "Are you going to come or not?"

"What for? We know where she is." Ron was glaring out through the trees, he could just make out the astronomy tower's peak from where he sat.

"Don't you think it would help if we knew exactly where she was?" Harry wasn't in the mood to deal with the redhead's temper and his tone very clearly showed it.

"Yeah, but we don't have the map." Ron wasn't jumping into the same thought train, he was surely not even in the station.

"The Snatchers may have it still. Luna-"

"Luna, Luna, Luna!" Ron spun himself onto his feet, "Can't you think for yourself! It was so easy for you to replace Hermione, relying on someone else to do your thinking for you since she's not here!"

Harry bristled when Ron pushed him away. "That isn't what this is about!" Harry pushed Ron harder than he thought he could, sending him fumbling back for purchase. "She's helping us! We should be grateful that anyone is helping us! The Order sure as hell isn't! Hell, even your family isn't doing a thing but protecting their own!"

"My family?! My family?!" Ron's shout made the wards around them tremble. "My family is trying to win this war! They're fighting and bleeding for you!"

"Yeah, well where are they then?!"

The argument made it no farther as both boys found themselves in a full body bind that sent them falling down into decaying leaves. Luna slowly tucked her wand behind her ear and looked at the two of them sadly. They were never going to accomplish anything until the two of them settled whatever was lying weight in their hearts.

oOo

Snape frowned deeply as he adjusted the mirror. Hermione was curled up in the far corner of the room. Her head down on her knees, her fingers pulling at the roots of her hair. She hadn't finished her food, rather she'd thrown what was left at the door before appearing to have raged over anything else she could get her hands on.

This wasn't good. If she was, as he suspected, reverted there were bound to be a few things she was sure to take notice of. He turned on his heel. He needed to think, he desperately needed to talk to the real Hermione Granger but he also feared what he would find. Never one to escape his punishment, he turned into his rooms and straight to the closet. He knocked twice and took a deep breath before schooling his face.

As soon as the door came open she was up on her feet. His own glare mild in comparison to the one that bore up at him from the corner of the room.

"What did you do to me!?" Her voice was still hoarse but clearer than before, hatred dripping off every syllable.

"It wasn't me." His eyes almost betrayed his lie when they flicked to the still purple mark on her neck. He had missed it when he had taken care of her other ailments.

"Who then?" Hermione came from the corner slowly, like a lioness on the hunt. Her arms were wrapped around her. One around her stomach, clutching tight to the fabric of the white uniform shirt and the other curled over her heart.

"I don't know..." For once in his life, Snape felt three sizes too small. Her anger at him was nothing compared to the look in her eyes. Complete and utter betrayal. His voice betrayed him as well, and when he dared to look her in the eye he felt awash with new feelings he couldn't understand.

She clearly didn't believe him and crossed the distance between them. Her eyes were hard and her jaw was set, "Give me your hand."

"Excuse me?" In the time it took for him to process her command she had already taken hold of his wrist. By the time his mind caught up it was already laying flat against her chest.

Hermione's chest was heaving, she was so sure she had caught him in a lie. So sure that it was him who she had felt against her in her dream. His hand was too large, the fingertips too wide, fingers too long. A sob rose in her throat but she swallowed it down. She didn't resist when he finally snapped his hand back as though burned.

"I... I was a virgin..." Her voice came out so desperately, it turned his head to look at her fully. She hadn't even a mind to move from her spot. She didn't know why she had told him, it wasn't something that had really been important to her before. But the idea of someone taking something else from her had brought such a pain to her heart.

Snape's jaw screwed tight and for a long moment. The world spun a little too slowly. He hadn't checked any further than what had been in front of him. So concerned about his own prudence he had covered her as soon as he'd finished. She hadn't had a mind then to tell him anything else.

He knew the spell, it wasn't one that was readily taught but had proved useful one other time in his life. That night would never truly leave his inner theatre. It had saved a life once before, though he wasn't sure if it would again. His eyes turned down and his wand came into his palm. He drew the tip in a small arch, a deep purple light forming at the tip. He—as much as she—needed affirmation.

Hermione watched the light leave the tip of his wand and took a small step back. When it disappeared inside her she felt something that she could only describe as a tingling before a soft blue light glowed from her abdomen.

"You still are..." Snape could have collapsed from relief.

oOo

"That's got to be it..." Luna whispered keeping herself low. She'd disillusioned herself with Harry at her back under the cloak. She had managed to get the boys on some sort of level but she wasn't sure how long their peace would last. Every time she was anywhere near the bag that Ron hardly ever let out of his sight she got this horrible ringing in the back of her mind. It turned her stomach and set her on edge. She could only guess what it was doing to him.

Ron had come as well, disillusioned behind Harry unwilling to share the cloak. He'd stayed quiet through it all but he was starting to feel even more on edge as they looked at the dilapidated shack. If they could really get the map then he wouldn't need either of them. He could go on his own and this time he was going to make sure they couldn't follow him.

All three of them crept around to the back of the shack, a soft light glowed from around the edges of the window and they each rose their heads with caution. The inside of the shack was littered with a mess of dirty clothes, dishes, and bags of all kinds. They could make out two legs propped up on an old ottoman that had definitely seen better days.

"Inter audiat..." Luna lowered her wand slowly, turning to hold the softly glowing tip between them.

"...of a party last night."

Harry jumped when the deep scratchy voice joined them, marveling at Luna's resourcefulness.

"Lucky bastard, they had me outside the entire time." Another voice joined the first. Harry glanced over the edge of the window but couldn't see who the voice belonged to.

"Sure was, had me a little bit of fun down in the cellar." The first man let out a soft groan as though he were stretching, "You remember that little piece we captured before Bella went all insane?"

"The one who smelled really good?"

"Yeah, what was her name? Granger, that's it. Potter's mudblood."

Ron could feel his blood starting to boil and he pressed in further to hear.

"Yeah what about her? Didn't Bellatrix slit her throat or something?"

"Nah, she's some death eater's pet now."

"You really are mental." A dark laugh chilled them to the bone, "Tell me, does she taste as good as she smells?"

"Even better." There was a small sound of someone shifting in the chair. They could now see Scabior's face leaning around the edge with a wicked smirk on his lips. "Her skin is so soft," He held his hands up, closing his eyes to relive the moment, "Like Egyptian cotton, I had her panting in my ear for more in no time."

"Is she a screamer? She looked like a screamer."

"Nah, I never got that far, stupid wolfman interrupted me before I could get to the good part. Though I'm pretty sure that greasy haired git beat me to the punch."

Harry had to grab Ron by the collar to keep him from bursting through the window. This was valuable information, they couldn't give themselves away now. His mind went back to his dream; when he'd seen Hermione being escorted out. His stomach turned as he thought about what may have happened.

"...Spent enough time upstairs, and she sat between his legs the whole night. Her neck was...definitely a bite...Bloody bastard...everyone... Doesn't like to share that one."

The spell waffled in and out when Harry bumped Luna in his attempt to keep Ron still. He strained to hear the rest when he finally got Ron still.

"I think it's bloody unfair that the death eaters get to have all the fun. I mean hell, we're doing all the grunt work we should at least get a taste of the cake."

"She was delicious."

The men shared a dark laugh before Scabior pushed himself up with a large stretch, "Let's go see what's going on at the pub, I could totally go for a beer right now".

Harry peeked over the edge of the window as Luna's spell went out. His stomach was in knots. Why had he waited so long, why has he let any of this happen? It was all his fault. He almost wanted to beat Voldemort to the punch and finish himself off.

A gentle tug on his sleeve broke him from his headspace and he turned to follow Luna who was making her way to the side door. They watched the Snatchers make their way out the front before Luna unlocked the side door opening it far enough to cast a charm to see if anyone was left in the house.

oOo

Hermione didn't know why she was crying, only that she couldn't stop. Her entire life has flipped on its end over and over again. She wanted to go home. She desperately wanted to feel safe again. She wanted it so bad it hurt. She was so tired of hurting, why couldn't everything just end? Why couldn't things be as they were?

Snape hadn't moved from the doorway, rather he watched her fall to her knees. Her entire soul-shattering before him. Even if he couldn't hear her thoughts, the sight alone would have broken anyone's heart.

He knew he shouldn't have done it even as his body lowered down beside hers. Still so, he reached out. His hands gently took her by her elbow, lifting her heavy body from the floor. Her fists hardly impacted him at all when she weakly thumped them against his arms. He merely shifted closer lifting her from the floor to her knees. He understood, he truly and completely did.

Her resistance was weak at best as he pulled her to his chest. Her cries were silent but her entire body trembled with release. She closed her eyes when his hand came up to her head, flinching at first before letting him pull it over his heart. She could hear it beating nearly as fast as her own, the thump reverberating inside her.

Snape closed his eyes when he felt her pressing into him. After her brief resistance he had expected her to curse him, but instead, she just went still. Her hiccups and sniffles were growing gradually slower and his arm wrapped around her back pulling her fully against him. He could feel her fingers blindly searching for something to hold onto and shifted ever just so. When she finally took hold of the seam of his coat her hand curled so tightly it shook.

"Please...help...me..."

"I will..."