Snape groaned deeply in his sleep. The images brought to him held no comfort. Screams, panicked voices, all calling for him. Begging, pleading for him to save them.

Two bright green eyes staring directly into his soul jolted him from the ravaged dreamscape. His body jerked and something cool covered his hand.

It took him a full thirty seconds to orient himself. When he did he realized he'd fallen asleep next to the bathtub. His head on the lip one hand having fallen into the water.

His entire body ached from the awkward position he'd found himself in. His mind was lethargic in telling him why he'd fallen asleep in his bathroom before a soft sigh caught his attention. His head jerked up so fast his neck popped leaving a numb feeling down the left side of his body. Ignoring it, he blinked his vision clear while his heart sped up.

The girl. He was supposed to be caring for the girl! His eyes finally communicated with his brain and he felt himself relax.

She had fallen into a natural slumber. Her head well above the water, the crown of her head resting where his other arm had been. The murky water had since settled leaving a blurry view of the towel and her curled legs. There was hardly any rattle left in her breaths. Only a soft hum about every third.

Snape reached over and pressed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. Her skin was cool, but not unhealthily so. The color that had filled them gone. When he pulled away her head started to turn and his fingers ghosted over her lips.

Her eyes fluttered open for the briefest of seconds. Snape went still until she let out a heavy sigh. Satisfied that she would remain asleep he banished the water and cast a drying charm with a wave of his hand.

He glanced to his right noticing that his house elf had left a full change of clothes for both he and Granger. With a small glance to make sure she was still resting he made his way over inspecting what Poppet had brought.

Soft flannel pajamas with Gryffindor red print. A white undershirt and underclothing that would surely fit, though he wondered where it all came from he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

oOOo

"My Lord, I'm so grateful you were able to see me." Scabior bent his head low, taking to one knee.

"Your message intrigued me."

"I found this while going through the things we confiscated from Potter and his friends." The snatcher didn't dare come to his feet but he did glance at Bellatrix who was lounging on the floor beside Voldemort's chair. Nagini was running over the ebony hair witch's legs making a twisted smile form over the insane witch's face.

"Bring it to me." Voldemort held out his skeletal hand.

oOOo

"Show me, Hermione Granger." Ron's voice was but a whisper. Night had fallen on their little camp. They'd managed to find some muggle camping gear in one of the settlements that had been destroyed by Voldermort's deatheaters. It had been a heartbreaking sight for all involved.

Thanks to Luna and Hermione's bag they were able to carry the meager supplies with barely a burden. Harry had been discussing his plans to get into Gringotts with them both. It seemed dangerous, beyond dangerous. As nice as Luna was, she wasn't Hermione. They needed Hermione. It had been nearly three days now and her absence was taking its toll.

Ron breathed slowly keeping the mirror close under his sleeping bag. He turned it carefully until he finally saw her hair. Another adjustment and Ron was greeted with her sleeping face. He smiled wryly, running his fingers over the glass.

"It's all going to be okay 'Mione..." He pressed a kiss to the cold surface trying to imagine that it was her forehead. Anything to slate the pain in his heart.

oOOo

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. Everything hurt. Hermione pried her eyes open to the dim light shining down from somewhere overhead. It was dark, almost as though she were sleeping under the stars.

Her head followed her eyes, turning up to blink at the charmed ceiling above. Something didn't add up. The hard ground she would have expected beneath her was warm and soft. Like a bed.

That couldn't be right. That last thing she remembered was running. She had been running! Her heart skipped a beat and her limbs jerked as she tried to push herself up. That was until the straps on her wrists and ankles gave a sharp resistance sending her back onto the bed.

Where was she? Had been captured? What had happened to Ron and Harry? How long had she been unconscious? Her internal clock felt off. Like she'd been sleeping for days. Why was she bound?

So many questions, not nearly enough answers. Her chest and throat hurt and there was a dull throb on her bicep whenever she moved. She turned her head to the strap around her wrist.

It looked like something she'd seen in a movie. Something that doctors would use to restrain mental patients. Had she been taken to a hospital? How badly was she injured?

There was no door that she could see, just deep blue walls and a charmed ceiling. Her head felt light and her chest tightened as she tried to suppress the fear crawling through her limbs like frozen spiders.

Hermione shifted her body, pulling down the strap on the right towards her mouth. She could just reach the belt with her tongue but the small pressure sent a deep throb through her teeth.

She pushed the pain aside leaning up further to try and get her teeth around the leather. She had to get free. Her brain felt thick like there was something missing. Something that was surely important. She tried to split her focus between the task at hand.

"Ye-s!" Her voice popped, sounding like crunched gravel. Her exclamation brought worry to her brow as she worked her wrist free.

Now able to sit up, she turned herself to the side only to have the breath in her lungs stolen by a sharp stabbing pain on her left side. It left her hunched over, perfectly still, for a long moment.

Snape groaned deeply from the gentle chirping that had disturbed his dreamscape. Not that he had anything pleasant playing in his mental theatre.

A heavy sigh rolled him from his chest to his side and he tried to read the time on his bedside clock. 4:04 am. Why couldn't the insufferable girl have needs at a decent hour?

A wave of his wand silenced the charm and a low growl pushed him up. A flick of his wrist brought his coat from the hook. He slipped his heavy arms through before slipping down into his shoes.

Why had he done this to himself? Why had he let this carry on as it had? He had had trouble going back to sleep after his little nap in the bathroom. The very idea that he had lost himself before another, a student no less, had woken a beast inside him.

He had reassured himself while he worked on replenishing the potions they'd used; that had he not been in a weakened state it would never have happened. That it was the effects of Voldemort's curse that had led him to such actions. No other explanation had sated his burning need for self-depreciation.

The buttons of his jacket went tight with an absent wave of his hand. The fabric restricting his movements in the way he'd grown comfortable. He paused by his potion cabinet pulling down a muscle relaxant.

Granger had been oddly compliant after her bath. She'd slept most of the evening away and had eaten her dinner without a fuss. It left an odd feeling inside him. He'd put her back to sleep with a dreamless sleep potion around 10, needing her out of his hair while he worked on his potions.

He hadn't given her anything but the salves since the bath and he was sure that she was in pain if the charm was indicating another seizure. He slipped the vial into his pocket and ran his hands through his hair before turning to the closet.

Hermione managed to get her final ankle free. Breathing hard through her nose from the effort she pushed herself off the bed with a deep grunt. Her eyes scanned the room quickly and she dragged herself over to the table and chair. She kept an arm wrapped around her ribs. Heavy sounding locks started to slide out of place causing her heart to speed up.

Snape pushed open the door without thought, his step faltering when he was greeted by an empty bed. How had she-? His thought was immediately cut off when the chair from the corner came at him. His reflexes spared him the hit catching the weakly thrown wood in a wandless spell.

The girl was pressed back against the wall, obviously having used what little of her strength she had to throw the chair. Her body trembled and she hissed deeply from the roll of pain going through her limbs. Snape set the chair down and made to move toward her but her mouth opened stopping him in his tracks.

"Sn-ape?"

Her eyes showed a mixture of pain and confusion and it was clear to him that she was fighting off the pain. What was more curious to him, however, was that she had said his name. He stayed as he was, watching her fight a fruitless battle.

It wasn't until she started to sink down the wall did he dare to take a step. He watched her head shake back and forth as she no doubt tried to orient her mind. He kept a safe distance between them coming down to one knee in front of her. His eyes tracked her chest making sure that both sides were moving.

Hermione heard him moving closer and tried to press herself further away. Her limbs responded on a sort of delay. Her encyclopedic mind informed her that she was suffering the after-effects of prolonged exposure to the cruciatus curse. Something she couldn't recall being put under.

She was obviously a captive, a prisoner. To what end, she wasn't entirely sure. Her shock and mixed feelings of relief and fear were mucking her otherwise highly logical thought process.

"Miss Granger, you are safe."

"I don- beli-eve you..." She managed to open her eyes just enough to ascertain his position. Her words came out on the inhale, soft and broken by her still damaged vocal cords.

Her heart was starting to kick into next gear with all the other possibilities for her capture. Snape was a legilimens, a secret she had known about for quite some time. That must have been why she had been sent to him. So he could extract information about Harry.

"Believe what you want." Snape turned his head away having heard her logical, if not erroneous line of thinking. He pulled out a vial of muscle relaxant and set it down between them.

"Wh-y d-id you t-tie me -o the be-d?"

"It was for your own safety."

"My safe-ty, o-r so you co-uld tor-ture me, o-r rape me?"

Snape leaned back as though she had slapped him. Her accusation made him more than furious. The beast inside him roared to be released and Snape could not hold it back.

"How do you know I already haven't?" His words came out like ice, dark and exceptionally cruel. The anger inside them could not be mistaken. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Hermione was beyond speechless. The furry inside the man's eyes informed her very clearly that she had completely let her mouth run away from her. Her eyes flicked down to the bottle he'd placed before him before she pulled her knees under her chin.

"Wh-at do wan- from me?" The trembling from before was starting to change cause. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes.

Snape sneered before coming to his feet. He wasn't sure what was worse. Having a fully aware Granger or one that couldn't even tell him her name. Either way, the girl was exceptionally good at inducing headaches.

It was too early to deal with either one and his patience had officially run out. With a glare that was sure to have sent any sane person running, he turned and opened the door to his rooms. With an apathetic glance towards Granger he stepped back through.

Hermione whimpered softly when the locks fell into place. Her mind reeling over all she'd just learned. A soft pulse on her arm caught her attention and she turned it into the light. Her face bent with confusion to the wrap that was there. She picked away the sticking charm and carefully pulled the bandage away. The sight beneath made her stomach drop and a fresh set of tears form.

Mudblood.

oOOo

"Morning..." Ron let out a rather lion like yawn coming over to the fire pit.

"Good morning, Ron. Did you sleep well?" Luna gave him a small smile but even he could tell she was starting to look a bit haggard.

"As good as to be expected. Where's Harry?" Ron took the small tin of beans that had been heated by the fire from Luna's offered hand and glanced around their small camp.

"He went looking for potion ingredients about 15 minutes ago. At least that's what he said. If you ask me, I think he just wanted some time alone to think." Luna finished her statement with a small bite of her own breakfast and turned her eyes out into the mist covered trees.

"Right..." Ron glanced at the trees before taking a rather large bite. He had slept fairly well, but he'd let the magic on the mirror get exceptionally low when he'd fallen asleep watching Hermione. As much as he wanted, needed, to check on her, he knew that he couldn't.

oOo

Draco turned in his bed. Sweat covered his sheets as he found himself in another recurring nightmare.

The world around him was dark, darker than he could recall. His eyes turned down to the broken body in front of him. Their scream of agonizing pain tearing through his heart.

His aunt was leaned down over her, whispering something most foul into the crying teen's ear. She'd fought well, but in the end, the pain had been too much. Draco could see it in her eyes, dead and cold.

The blood that covered the floor around them grew, like a rising river. Its color dark, almost brown as it traveled towards him.

He made to step back before a shift in perspective brought him directly over top of her prone form. He'd taken his aunt's place. Her cursed dagger pulsed in his hand. His breathing hitched as he looked down into the harsh carving left upon her skin.

Warmth fell down onto his hand and unable to stop, he turned his head towards her face. Her mouth was parted, pale as snow against the blood that flowed out. Her eyes looked directly into him. Blaming him.

No, he hadn't. He hadn't done this. He hadn't taken part in anything. He'd done nothing wrong. He'd done nothing wrong...

His own fear filled eyes turned down, seemingly floating now above her. A bright red light filled his vision and her scream rattled through his skull.

Draco woke with a small cry, clutching the sides of his head as he tried to push the images away. A deep sob stuck in his throat as he tried to keep himself in line. It would do him no good to expose such weakness. He had to be strong. He had to fight it.

His head jerked up when the door to his room opened and he hastily tried to wipe all evidence of his weakness away.

"Draco?"

"Mom?"

Narcissa came into the room, silently pressing the door closed behind her. She was still in her dressing gown and her hair had yet to be done. She looked just as tired as he was.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." Draco sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand trying to school his face.

Narcissa closed the gap between them, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. She gave him a faint grimace of a smile while pushing his hair back from his brow. Her son, her beautiful son. She pulled him closer wrapping her arm around the back of his head letting it come to rest on her shoulder.

"Oh, my son...she was only a mudblood."

oOo

Hermione turned her head up to the sun slowly rising over the enchanted ceiling. Her body felt marginally better after she'd taken the potion Snape had left behind. Though she had only done so after carefully examining its contents. Her mind had cleared with the passing time. Pieces of the last day she could fully remember falling into place.

They'd been taken to Malfoy Manor. The boy's locked away somewhere, while she, went face to face against one of the most insane witches she'd ever met. Her stomach roiled at the very memory of the ebony haired witch. Her body too had not forgotten the pain she'd inflicted. The feeling of fire burning through her entire body while she desperately gasped for air.

She was sure she'd blacked out during the event, it was the only explanation for the time loss. The last thing she remembered was Bellatrix's warm breath against her ear before she forced her mouth open. She could still taste the copper of her blood in her throat.

Now, was a new problem. The room she'd been left in appeared to have only the single hidden door. Nothing else about the space gave off any clues. Nothing to help ease her troubled mind. She'd circled the small space at least five times, trying in vain, to find anything at all. She'd only managed to exhaust her meager energy supply and make her chest sore.

Without knowing when Snape might possibly return, she used the time she had as advantageously as she could. She'd pulled the straps from the bed, trying to pull off the buckles to fashion some sort of weapon. Unfortunately, the best she could make was a whip with a metal tip. It would at least give her something.

She'd pushed the bed from the wall into the center of the room, making a sort of barricade from where she remembered the hidden door to be. It wouldn't keep the door shut, but it would provide a barrier between her and her would be captor.

Something more logistically pressing was starting to grate on her senses. She needed the loo. Badly. As if a call to her distress, a small pop sounded from near the door and Hermione turned her head slowly over the edge of the bed blinking at the small house elf dressed in a rather nice looking green pillowcase.

"Hello, Misses." The elf didn't move and looked very wary of approaching her. She held in her hand a small bowl of something that Hermione couldn't see clearly from her hunched position.

"Hello..."

"I've brought Misses breakfast...Master says Misses must eat it all..." The elf looked around the rearranged room for the table.

"I'm not hungry..." It was a lie, boldface and badly executed when her stomach growled loudly.

"Is not a request miss..." The elf padded over to the table and set the bowl down before wringing her hands. "Master was quite clear..."

Hermione couldn't help but snarl. Angry at the idea of Snape abusing this poor creature. "Well tell your master, I'm not eating anything until I can go to the bathroom."

The elf tilted her head slightly before turning her large eyes around the room. She very much didn't want to return without having completed her task successfully this time. She glanced over at the girl before moving to the far corner. A wave of her hand produced a stool with a chamber pot underneath. The elf seemed pleased with her addition and turned towards the witch.

"I'm not using that." Hermione shook her head and turned herself away. She felt bad for being rude, but she just couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of using something so archaic. It made her nauseous just to think about.

"I will...see what I can do misses..."

Hermione deflated as the elf popped out. Her stomach growled even louder when the smell of eggs and warm toast wafted from the corner. She stayed where she was, however, too afraid to move for fear that her request would bring someone rather unwanted into the room.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long and another soft pop brought her head over the edge of the bed once more.

"I am allowed to take misses to the bathroom...though I must retrain hers so as she cannot escape..." The elf looked more than a little worried at her instructions.

Hermione could tell the creature didn't very much like the idea of restraining her, but her body was calling out desperately for relief. Very carefully, she pushed herself up from the floor and moved around the edge of the bed,

"Alright..."

The elf gave her a genial smile before gently taking her outstretched hands. A soft band of fabric wound its way around her sensitive wrists and a small blindfold appeared over her eyes.

"I will guide misses...it is not far..."

Hermione tried to keep herself calm, the fabric over her eyes wasn't tight, and she was sure with a bit of wiggling she could maneuver it away from her eyes just enough to see her steps. She felt the cool smooth hands of the elf take her own and she held on gently.

A small adjustment of her eyebrows raised the blindfold just enough to make out her feet and she took a small step after the creature. When they passed the threshold she got a sense that she'd suddenly gone up much higher than she'd previously been. The room to which they'd stepped into was much more brightly lit and the floor was a soft sandstone.

They stepped through another doorway and a sound to her right caught her attention. Very carefully she turned her eyes and had to stifle a gasp at the sight. She was in a bedroom, more so than that, she was in Snape's bedroom.

The man himself had his back to her. He appeared to be changing his clothes for the day. His upper body was void of clothes but it most certainly wasn't bare. Large, deep lines crisscrossed over the entire expanse, from the top of his back all the way down his arms. His waist was small, smaller than she would have thought it was, and his back looked tight. Like all the worlds weight was resting down upon it.

It was just a fleeting glimpse, something she was sure he'd had obliviated her for had he known she possessed such knowledge. Her attentions were brought back in front of her as the floor beneath her feet went cool, the feeling of slick tile and the smell of lavender assaulted her senses.

"Here you are misses..." The elf gently pulled the tie from her wrists, "It's the room over there..."

The elf called the blindfold next and Hermione blinked into the bright morning light. "Thank you..." She reached up rubbing her eyes for a moment before looking at the room that the elf had pointed to.

Everything about the room felt oddly familiar. Had she been brought there before? Why did it feel as though she had been there very recently? The unease the thought brought pouted her lips but she didn't take the elf's kindness for granted and moved her way over to the small water closet.