Ginny turned slowly in the room around her. Everything felt so real, so clear, it was as though she were really there. She had touched the mirror thinking about Hermione but her heart had been with Harry. She stood now, in the safe house her family had taken to, watching over his rest.

She had sat by his side all night when he came in, holding hand and whispering softly into his ear. The world needed him now, but she needed him more than most. Her heart ached, she wanted desperately to lie down beside him. She had tried to hold his hand but her own had fallen through.

The room was silent, completely silent, it was odd to not even to hear her own breaths. A sort of conscious dream state. She knew she couldn't stay. A small turn oriented her towards the doorway created by the mirror. She watched the door to the Room of Requirement open and Neville step through. She had to go, she knew, but it was hard.

Neville looked up when a small flash filled the other end of the room. The mirror that had been showing a picture, quickly dissolved back into a black state. He gave Ginny a small smile when she came through and made his way towards her.

"Bit of a head trip isn't it?" His voice was kind and gentle. He could tell she, just as much as he, had been adversely affected.

"Yeah, I was trying to see Hermione... but it took me to Harry..."

"How is he?" They came to stand before the other but neither one had the courage to raise their eyes.

"Sleeping still... but his head looks mended finally..."

"Remind me never to tick off a house elf." His joke was poorly executed but it did get him just the slightest of grins at the corner of her lips.

A small silence fell over them and they each took the moment to go over their plan. The moment was broken when the door opened again. They each turned watching with heavy hearts as Luna came through.

Luna gave them the tiniest of smiles having sensed the weight in the room. She made sure the door was firmly shut before coming to join them. Her eyes turned between the both of them before she reached out and took each of their hands. No words needed to be said in that moment.

oOo

Hermione tried to stifle the small whine of pain that bubbled in the back of her throat as he forcibly pulled her towards her room. Her mind was spinning at the possibilities of just what he was planning. The rough twist of her body sent fire down her still healing back causing her steps to feel weak and out of line. Was he going to lock her away? Was he going to force the spell onto her anyway? It had said the person needed to be willing for it to take effect and she was very certain his manhandling of her was having the opposite effect of willing.

She couldn't keep the squeak of surprise from passing her lips when he all but threw her into the chair in her room. Her chest heaved as her vision tilted before feeling chair arms coming up around her. She winced when he released her arm, before noticing that he was adding metal shackles to her wrists to bind her to the chair.

"What're you doing?" Finally finding her voice left her no comfort as it came out like a fevered whisper. Her heart was pounding but she wasn't afraid, rather she was dreadfully confused.

"You want to show me how brave you are? How brilliant, you are? How you're going to survive? Now's your chance." His voice was like ice and he all but spat his words at her between his clenched teeth.

He leaned down grabbing her leg before she could think to kick him and pulled up the fabric up before placing another shackle on her bare skin. He quickly repeated the process with the other leg just as she made to push him away. He'd riled her temper fully and he could already feel her mind turning out of her control.

"You're too emotional." He pushed himself back to his feet pushing her chest back into the chair by the nape of her throat iliciting a small choked gasp. A large band appeared around her chest, similar to the others, forcing her back against the unforgiving wood. "Occlumency is the art of controlling your mind and body above all else. Your emotions should never be able to take control of your thoughts or actions. How are you going to keep anything a secret when the slightest slur sends your mind reeling?"

"You don't seem very in control yourself." She glared daggers at him shifting her bruised leg. The belt over her chest made it difficult to take a full breath and her back was tingling. She met his glare with a snarl of her own trying to force herself not to struggle in her bonds. While she was sure he wasn't going to permanently harm her, she was certain this lesson he was trying to teach was going to hurt.

"Clear your mind." That was his only warning before a sharp jolt sparked along the band on her wrist. He used her temporary confusion to silently cast his spell. Her eyes locked with his sending him tumbling forward into her headspace.

oOOo

"I think I've cleared my mind enough for us to try again." Luna pushed herself up from a large floor pillow. They had to get the mirror to show them what they needed to see. They couldn't risk a head-on confrontation with Snape, even with the three of them.

"Just be careful...if it works we'll be right behind you." Neville came to her side with Ginny in his shadow they'd each taken an hour pensive silence to go over their role in the plan. They'd all agreed they needed more information.

"Alright...just remember, no matter what we see, it may not be as it seems."

Ginny and Neville shared a glance of concern behind her back but said nothing. They waited with baited breath to see if she could summon the proper image.

oOo

"That's enough." Snape's childish anger had quickly deflated turning into had felt immeasurable guilt over what he'd done about 30 minutes in. He'd pushed the feeling aside and come at her even harder, leaving him somewhere between self-loathing and vindication. Pulling out memories from her childhood, the most painful ones he could find. He'd dragged them through the proverbial mud and still, she had found the will to fight him.

"I can do it!" She had improved exponentially during the time but every time one of the bands would send a random shock through her, she'd lose her focus and he'd been able to get around her meager defense.

"You're insufferable, just use the spell."

"No! It's my life! I want to do this!" Hermione sniffled, slightly coughing on the blood that ran down the back of her throat. She took a few deep breaths trying to calm herself back down. She could tell he was angry but she didn't care, "Please...I can do this..."

"There is no time..." Snape sneered as he leaned down to remove the restraints on her wrists. He had to be impressed with what she had accomplished thus far but he knew it wouldn't be enough. She had no natural talent for it, she was too kind, too trusting.

"One more...please..." Her hands held tight onto the arms of the chair, refusing to give in. "One more time...please...I can do it..."

Snape sneered at her but he knew his lesson hadn't yet sunken in. He released her wrist and took a step back. His wand rolled slightly in his palm as he regarded her. He just couldn't fathom why she would possibly put herself through this...torture to prove a point. Just what possible point was she even hoping to accomplish?

Hermione relaxed marginally when he released her. She was sure she'd never get the taste of blood out of her memory with as often as she'd been swallowing it down. She had to do this. She had to make him see that he could trust her.

"Legilimens."

oOo

"What is he doing to her?" Neville joined Luna first, his eyes never leaving Hermione. She looked to be in pain. Her eyes were dark as if she hadn't been sleeping and were puffy as if she'd been crying though he couldn't see any tears. His stomach felt queasy just seeing the chair she was tied down to. Snape wasn't touching her and he hadn't seen any light from a spell but he could tell that they were locked in a fierce battle of sorts.

Hermione's face was pale but her eyes were sharp. He could see the muscle in her jaw twitching from time to time. He came closer desperately wanting to do something to set her free. His phantom hand came from his side to rest on her clenched fist. He hoped that she could feel that they were there, that they were with her.

"I don't know..." Luna wasn't looking at either of them, her voice light and a tad floaty while she looked for any possible way for them to get into the room. "I think he's trying to read her mind." Luna turned again, this time towards the small window. It was dark through the glass but it did afford her a small view, enough for her to orient herself in the space.

"Do you think he's trying to find Harry?" Ginny's voice was just as tight as Neville's, it was taking everything in her power not to run to the sixth floor and blast a hole in the wall. Her chest moved quicker when a small bit of blood bubbled at the corner of Hermione's lip.

Luna turned back toward the two Gryffindors, "It wouldn't matter, there's no way for her to know where he is." Luna's brow furrowed slightly when she noticed that the door that should have led to the hallway wasn't present in the room.

Ginny was about to call it all off and demand that they stop the horrific sight before them. Her blood was rushing with adrenaline and she was more than itching for a fight. The sight before her just brought back the heavy seated hopelessness she had felt before when she'd watched her back be torn to ribbons. She took hold of the arm Neville had over Hermione's hand and knew that he felt the exact same way.

Suddenly, Snape stumbled back a step and covered his eyes. Ginny and Neville shared a sort inner hurrah and released the breath that had been building in their cheats'. The movement caught Luna's attention as well and there was a collective breath between them to see what would happen next.

oOo

Hermione would have leaped for joy had she been able to move. Not only had she kept her thoughts from him but she'd managed to expel him as well. Her inner victory was short lived when she inhaled, when she should have swallowed, causing her to start a rather hard coughing fit.

Snape was still reeling from her impressive feat when the sound of her choking rattled inside his brain. He quickly pulled his hand from his eyes and came closer. A flick of his wand released the band around her chest and she took in a rather large stuttered gulp of air before collapsing forward to spit up a large helping of blood.

"Miss Granger?" His voice was tight as he leaned down on one knee. He reached up with both hands to tilt her head back so he could see her face and open her airway.

Another series of deep coughs rattled her chest, a few drops of her blood soaking into the fabric of his coat before she managed enough air to speak. She shook her head in his palms slightly, trying to bring her vision back into focus.

"I'm okay... just...bit my tongue..."

"Show me." He was already pulling back a hand to retrieve his wand. Hermione swallowed thickly and managed to quell her coughing long enough to partially lift her chest. His palm remained on her cheek but his thumb hand gone down to her chin when she opened her mouth. He pressed his wand gently to her sternum relaxing her airways before shifting to see into her mouth. When she stuck out her tongue he could instantly see the mark she'd made and just as quickly repaired it.

"I think I'm... going to be... sick..." Between the vertigo turning her head into an out of control merry-go-round and the blood she'd swallowed, she was sure she was going to lose her dinner all over him. She could already feel her mouth watering in preparation and the cold chill running down her spine.

Thankfully, Snape was quicker than her gag reflex. He pressed his wand to her head easing the ebb and flow. When the sensation that she was rolling head over arse through a void diminished, her stomach calmed as well. There was a slight pause where she hadn't felt much of anything before a soft cloth pressed to the corner of her lip.

Her eyes rose and a slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She knew he could have just banished the blood away, but the fact that he was choosing to touch her, to comfort her, felt immensely more powerful.

oOo

Neville and Ginny couldn't believe what they were witnessing, even as it played out before their very eyes. Their dreaded potions master, turned fear-inducing headmaster, was willfully touching one of their best friends. What was even more puzzling was that Hermione didn't try to pull away or fight him, rather she seemed to have been smiling.

"She must have lost it..." Neville wasn't sure if there would be anything left of Hermione to save. He'd never in a million years have had expected anyone—especially the head brain of Gryffindor, friend to Harry bloody Potter arch nemesis of the black haired wizard before them—to smile at his touch.

Luna came round then, looking carefully into Hermione's face. She looked extremely tired, perhaps a tad uncomfortable but she didn't look crazy. Not to her anyway. Deciding that it was best to keep her observation to herself, she merely hummed.

"Come on Hermione... he's released you, fight him... kick him... do something..." Ginny was chewing the side of her nail, trying to keep herself calm. None of them could hear what they were saying but whatever it was it seemed to be important. Hermione nodded her head after the small, seemingly cordial exchange, and started to raise her recently released arm.

oOo

Hermione wrapped her arm around his bent shoulder with a small bit of trepidation lingering in her stomach. A small adjustment and a large hand, that left an array of warm spiders skittering across her sore back, brought her to her feet. Her head gave another dangerous flip and she nearly lost her footing when the ground suddenly felt as though it was on tilt. The hand on her back curled around to her waist and she felt the world set right again.

It was only three steps to the bed but each one felt exceptionally more difficult than the last. Her body felt heavy in odd places making her coordination feel off. When her searching hand met with the soft fabric of her comforter she let out a heavy sigh and allowed herself to be guided down. She lost track of his hands somewhere between sitting up on the bed and coming to lie down along the surface.

She hadn't been tired until he'd pulled a pillow beneath her head. She registered her legs coming up to join her and weakly curled them in. Her eyes blinked slower now as she watched him pull away. He brought down another pillow from the top of the bed and pressed it against her arms. She took hold of it with a curious brow before she felt her shirt disappear.

No words needed to be exchanged for her to understand what he was planning to do next. She hadn't even registered that her back was pulsing. It had sort of mixed in with everything else and fell to the lower end of her priority list.

She held the pillow tighter before using what was left of her coordination to roll over. He had turned away from her then to retrieve the salve from the bedside table.

oOo

"Merlin's pants..." Neville hadn't been ready for a full view of her bare back, he had actually started to turn away when he registered that her shirt was gone but Ginny's hand curling into his arm had made him pause.

"It doesn't look as bad as I thought it would..." Ginny was actually three skips away from amazed. She would have expected dark lasting scars all over. Instead, they had been given a much less intimidating view. She could see three red long obviously healing scabs and nothing more. There was a small bit of reddness at the bottom of one line but the others just looked like white crayon on white paper.

"I think he's been taking care of her." Luna was right at Snape's elbow now trying to see what he was going to give her, though without actually being there and able to smell or even touch the salve she was at a loss to what it could be. The color was as standard as any other and didn't provide any clues either.

"After torturing her? What could she possibly know that she has been able to keep from him for..." Ginny counted on her fingers, "What...8 days?"

Luna shook her head, she didn't know, but she was certain that there was much more going on than any of them realized.

oOo

Hermione shifted slightly when he took hold of her hair. His long fingers grazing the underside of her jaw as he pulled it into his hands. She felt it pull when it was charmed into a loose braid and hid a smile behind the pillow when he laid it back over her shoulder. She'd never really liked it when other people touched her hair, too many days in her childhood spent sitting in front of her flustered mother with a brush being torn through to try and sort out its mass as she tried to make it 'presentable'.

Yet oddly, he was just as careful as she was with it and she wondered briefly how he'd come to be as apt as he was with hair charms. It certainly didn't look like he needed an extra care for his lanky locks though she did wonder why someone as controlled as he would even have long hair.

Her inner monologue was interrupted when his hand pressed into a rather hard knot. She squeaked tiredly and tried to squirm away. His hand came to her waist then and she rolled her head to try and see him. His hand came away from the muscle he was trying to release to push her head back forward.

"Be still."

"It hurts..."

"It won't in a moment." He pulled his hand from her waist and the thumb that had previously done the deed returned to the task.

Hermione scrunched her face and curled her knees up to her chest, curling her toes. "Ow..."

"Be still."

"Ow...ow...oh..." Her low cat-like growl turned into a deep whining moan. She could almost hear his smirk as he continued to work. Her eyes rolled back with another deep sigh of contentment. She let herself relax and it wasn't long before the feeling of his hands drifted away and she found herself in a light sleep.

Snape glanced up as he put the last of the salve around her ribs, he'd been so focused on what he was doing that he didn't even register that she'd fallen asleep. Until now. He knew she needed to put more lotion on her chest but didn't want to wake her to do it. He waffled back and forth for a moment before deciding that it would be fine to just let it be for the time being. The small cuts had been healed anyway, the lotion was more for her comfort than actual care.

His own head was starting to pulse. His internal clock told him it couldn't have been too far after 10 and he had other things to worry about. Deeming her well enough—for now, he summoned a clean shirt from his closet before charming it over her. She made a small face and squirmed slightly when the buttons shifted into place.

Without a second glance, he pushed himself back to his feet and made towards the door. He had much more to do and without her, in his hair, he was certain he could prepare himself for what lied ahead. He would be lying to himself if he didn't say he was impressed by how quickly she'd managed to reign herself in. He would have chalked it up to a natural talent if it had been anyone else. Knowing her, however, he was sure she'd read a book about it at some point.