"I ne-ed to know wh-y."

"The less you know the longer your life will be." He had already said too much as it was.

"The-n te-ach me...wh-at you tried to do wi-th Harry." Hermione put her hand on her chest trying to calm her nerves so she could breathe properly.

"There isn't enough time." Snape sneered watching her struggle. She was more worked up than he was. They were never going to get anything done at this rate. "It takes years to become an accomplished occlumens. It would be inconceivable to believe you could learn how to block the Dark Lord in a mere few hours."

"Inst-ead of tell-ing me what I can't do. Wh-y do-n't you t-ell me wh-at I can!" Hermione's temper was on full tilt. Why didn't he just tell her what she wanted to know? What she needed to know?

Snape reared on her with a deep hiss. He leaned down over her, pressing her shuddering frame back into the chair with his mere presence. His eyes piercing right into her soul. He was so close his nose nearly touched hers. His hands came down trapping her completely into the chair.

Hermione's eyes widened and her breath froze in her chest, he was so close! Too close. She could smell the pain potion on his breath and see dark flecks of gold in his otherwise deep obsidian eyes.

"In just a few hours, you will be brought before the Dark Lord. At which time he will ravage your mind and possibly tear every limb from your body in his search for the answers he seeks. You will be alone. There will be no one there to save you."

His voice was so quiet, so deadly. Hermione was sure that had he not been so close, she never would have heard him. Her mouth parted in an attempt to bring in air. Her heart racing nearly as fast as her mind. Her own mortality slapped her hard in the face and she found herself completely helpless. Truly, helpless.

oOo

"Treacherous bleeder." Ron picked up a rock and chucked it into the sea, "We saved his life and he won't even help us."

Harry sighed heavily and hung his head between his hands. "It's not his fault. I'd be scared too. Hell, I'm scared now."

"But the sword of Gryffindor? That's a bit much to ask just to open a door."

"It's Gringotts Ron. The most secure place in all of wizarding Britain. It's not like we can walk right in. We'll just have to think of something else." Harry let his hands fall from his head.

"Where else could a Horcrux be?" Ron threw another stone, he felt like they were getting nowhere fast.

"I don-" Harry was cut off when an elf popped in front of him. His eyes widened when he recognized the green pillowcase as the one from the room Hermione had been in. The elf took one look at him and promptly vanished. Leaving behind what it had carried to fall heavily into the sand.

"Is that...?"

Harry was so taken aback it took him a moment to register something heavy landing on his foot. Something heavy, and metal.

"The sword!" Harry quickly leaned forward picking it up by the hilt. He noticed the parchment around the blade and instantly started to pull away the twine holding it in place.

"There's a note."

"What's it say?"

"It's from Hermione."

"What?" Ron's voice squeaked and he nearly face planted in the sand trying to get to Harry.

Harry shifted to make room and they both held the paper with great care. Her handwriting was a bit shakey but Ron would recognize those curly 'a's when he saw them. She was the only one he knew that wrote their a's that way.

"'Gringotts: Bellatrix's vault. My house: under the suncatcher, one foot down'?"

"It's a riddle?"

"I think she's trying to tell us where to go. She's trying to help us..."

"She's trying to help us? What about her?" Ron tried to read the message again, trying to see anything that may have been hidden. Harry released the parchment and Ron held it up to the light. A little trick she'd taught him back at Hogwarts. An old Muggle trick, invisible ink she called it.

"'Don't come for me.'...?" Ron squinted shifting it against the sun, "She can't be serious..."

"Maybe she's figured out a way to escape? I'm mean, she sent us the sword...what if...that elf...agreed to help her?"

Ron shook his head, "What if this is all some sick game? What if...whoever has her made her write this? What if we're being led into a trap? How do we even know this is the real sword... it's all too clean...too well timed. Like it's been planned..."

Harry blinked at his red-headed friend. That sort of thinking was just like Hermione's. He did have to concede to his point but also had to try. "Let's go to her house first. It's the second on the list, so if it is a trap, maybe they won't have set it yet."

"Right...good thinking..."

oOOo

"You want me, to hel-p y-ou, hel-p him? Have you go-ne comple-tely men-tal?" Hermione was panting by the time she forced her words out. Her entire body shaking with rage and disbelief.

"This isn't just about you!" Snape snapped up from his chair. "Are you so dimwitted that you can't see beyond the short term?" His hands opened and closed as he resisted the urge to literally shake sense into her.

He needed her help. He couldn't understand the code she had written in and the spells he'd used to try and decipher the progress she'd made had only made the pages in the journal go blank.

He couldn't possibly remember back nearly 20 years ago to what his younger self had been thinking and it would take too much precious time to restart the project from scratch. As much as he loathed to admit it, and he very much would have preferred torture, he needed her help.

In the meantime, he also had to fabricate a believable false memory depicting his capture of the girl. There simply wasn't enough time in the day to achieve all tasks.

"If you succeed, this could change everything. Don't understand anything?" Why was he trying to reason with the girl? She was merely a child caught in the middle of all this. He sneered and turned away. He was just as bad as both of his masters. Worse even.

Hermione glared daggers at the man's back. How dare he insult her!? Of course, she understood! She had the scars to prove it!

Her anger rounded its edge and just before she was about to open her mouth, her mind flashed to the glimpse she'd gotten of his back and instantly felt ashamed. He'd been fighting a lot longer than she.

Her jaw snapped shut with an audible pop and she straightened her back. Her eyes watching the man before her do something she had never taken the time to witness.

Who was she anyway? A friend of Harry Potter? Was that all that gave her value in this world? No, this man, he'd seen something else. Something in her. She was sure of it. Why else would he ask for her help? As inadvertent as it was, she had seen it. He needed her. Not for Harry but for something else. Still, she had to be sure.

"You ne-ed my help."

"It makes no difference."

"Do-n't lie to me." Hermione's voice was hard. So hard in fact that Snape turned. His glare just as hard as her tone. "I-I...d-deser-ve...more than...lies." Her chest heaved and her throat pulsed but she wasn't going to give into him. "Ma-ke...my dea-th...mean someth-ing..."

Snape's eyes widened marginally before his frown deepened. Her body started to tremble in the chair but her face remained hard, fighting the rising seizure. Her fingers curled into the leather, the sound of its resistance somehow deafening.

He searched her mind. She truly did believe her death was near and still, and still, she fought against everything. It was foolish, it was arrogant, it was admirable...

"You're not going to die today..." His words were hard but his eyes held something else.

"Say it." Hermione forced her head to remain still but her neck pulsed.

"I need your help."

oOo

"This is her house?"

"Was..." Harry looked around the edge of the house they were hidden behind. He scanned the street but found nothing unusual out of place. "She obliviated her parents remember? Then the order cleared her house..."

"Right..." Ron swallowed down the lump in his throat, "I don't see anyone..."

"Me either, but let's be quick. The suncatcher is probably in the back garden."

"What is a sun catcher anyway?"

"It's a muggle thing, nevermind, come on." Harry pushed away from the wall keeping his cloak close, Ron a step behind with a disillusionment spell. They'd argued again about who should take the risk and Ron pulled the short straw, literally. It seemed all they did was argue these days. Harry wondered if the stress was getting to the both of them.

Ron paused at the garden gate, the space between the buildings was tight if they were going to be ambushed, that would be the spot. He kept his wand up and his ears open.

The garden was relatively large for the area, it presently was overgrown but looked as though it had been well maintained at one point. A small patio held neatly stacked and covered outdoor furniture. Ron cast a revealing charm to make sure nothing was hiding beneath before motioning to Harry that the yard was clear.

"What's a sun catcher Harry?" There was hardly anything there.

"It's that over there, come on." Harry pulled the cloak from his head so that Ron could follow him to the far corner. They both jumped when Harry's foot landed on something that made a very loud crunch.

"It's just a toy..." Harry lifted his foot.

Ron nodded his head before turning his eyes over to the small swing set. It held just one oversized swing. It looked like something he would have seen Hermione curled up in reading a book. It felt weird being there without her. Even with everything gone, it had been her home.

"Found the suncatcher." Harry pulled the cloak free, deeming them safe as nothing had yet to jump out and attack them. He knelt down beside the knocked over pedestal, the colored globe laid in pieces on the little rock garden it had fallen into.

"What's a spell for digging?" Harry noticed the earth beneath the pedestal was soft as though it had recently been unearthed.

"I don't know, that was like fourth-year charms." Ron glanced down but kept his stance outward. "Just try anything. I'm starting to get a bad feeling."

Harry growled and pushed his wand into his pocket. He decided to dig by hand as it wasn't that far down. He could already make out the strap or something. When he took hold of it however he got a rather nasty shock. "Ah!"

Harry pulled his tingling hand to his chest trying to rub the feeling back into it. Ron spun on his heel looking down.

"What happened?"

"One of Hermione's protection jinxes no doubt...ah...man that stings..." Harry looked around before grabbing a tree limb that must have blown over from another yard.

He managed to pull the strap of what looked like a backpack free. He spotted the shocking beetle on the strap and used his wand to release it from the fabric. Once done, Harry gave the bag a rather strong pull, freeing it from the earth.

"Let's get out of here." Harry could feel it too. A growing sense of dread. He pulled the bag to his chest and took Ron's hand. In a crack, they were gone.

Neither one had noticed the set of eyes watching them from the upstairs window.

oOo

Hermione pursed her lips. She'd been given three books pertaining to soul bonds and life curses. It had helped sate her stir-crazy mind. That and the fact that Snape had let her be. She did have a new addition to her wardrobe, however.

Their little showdown in front of the fireplace sat uneasily in her stomach. He had conceded way too easily to her. That much was certain. She could tell he was planning something. She just wished she had some sort of clue as to what it was.

There was something different about him. Something...soft, beneath. She'd never seen it before and she was sure she was going crazy now. Yet, it was there. It didn't help her in any way. Though it did give food for thought.

She looked down at the metal around her ankle. It was magically tied, giving her enough of a lead to go to the bathroom and nowhere else. It was like a bangle, but for her ankle. If she stepped off the prescribed path, her body would be stuck in place until the spell was lifted.

She'd tested it only once, earning her a rather harsh tongue lashing from her captor. She'd interrupted whatever it was he was doing in his lab at the time. She didn't wish for a repeat performance.

The man was a constant mystery. She'd never even thought about what he had been like outside of the classroom. The few occasions where she had had the experience had been confusing at best. Presently, he was like Mr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

On the one hand, he was attempting to keep her informed. While on the other he was exceptionally irate. She would guess that he very much didn't like having her in his private rooms. A feeling that was mutually shared. Still, Hermione couldn't help but wonder what else was setting his teeth on edge.

The door opened and Hermione set down her pencil. Her stomach growled at the smell of whatever he had in his hand. She curled her bottom lip in and tried to keep herself as stoic as possible.

"Lunch." He said simply, "And the potion for your throat." He enlarged the table she was working at with a small wave before setting down the food-laden plate. A warm open-faced sandwich with beef gravy and mashed potatoes.

Hermione's brows furrowed at the small wooden case he set down beside the plate. A quick glance up provided her with permission to open the box. Inside she found 12 small red candies. They looked like muggle cough drops.

"Three a day, until they're gone should repair your voice box." His jaw twitched, he forced himself to be at least civil around her.

"Tha-nk you..." Hermione closed the box before turning towards her research, "Th-is sh-"

Snape held up his hand for her silence, her voice was grating at the best of times, but the intermittent popping made it even worse. He took the offered paper and scanned it quickly. "You're wrong."

He handed it back pointing to a line inside the many scribbled on the page. "You didn't balance the effects of onyx and rose quartz. The stones must have natural harmonic resonance to connect."

Hermione took the paper back running her finger down the page. So focused on his observation that she hadn't realized he had left her again. It wasn't until she found the error and she made to state her reasoning did she find that he had gone.

Her brow turned sad, a childish want rising inside her. Why was she even doing this? What was the point? It was his damn spell. Why wasn't he finishing what he started? Hermione growled and slammed the books shut.

He was keeping her busy. Out of his long greasy hair. Hermione glared at the plate of food he'd brought. Her temper rising. She was pathetic. Sitting in that room like some pet! What did Voldemort even need it for anyway? He already had 7 bloody Horcruxes!

Better question. Why was she even helping at all?

oOo

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasely have successfully retrieved what was left by Ms. Granger."

Snape grunted softly and leaned back in the overly ornate Headmaster's chair.

"I can't do this to her Albus. It would be better to release her. I can take the punishment." Snape popped his jaw then the knuckle on his right hand.

"You know Tom. He won't accept your failure. You would just be putting them in more danger."

Snape shook his head slightly looking down at the wand on his desk. Her wand. His eye twitched before he picked it up. Turning it in his fingers. He could feel her power, even after all this time. She was strong. Stronger than she probably even realized.

The charm sounded out into the office interrupting his thoughts.

What had she done now?

"That is a rather curious charm. Does it detect emotional and physical distress?"

Snape snarled at Albus as he passed, rolling his eyes to his quip when he was out of sight. If he'd set the charm to react to mental distress he'd never have a moments peace. The girl was like one of those muggle pinball machines.

"P-professor?"

"What?" Snape snapped before he made it around the door. When he did he had to stop and take stock of what he was seeing. Blood, everywhere. All over her arms, her white undershirt, her face or what he could see of it behind the pajama shirt, she pulled away from her face.

"What on earth did you do?!" His voice rose marginally and he quickly closed the gap between them. She hadn't moved from the spot she was restricted to but he could see a trail of blood leading from the closet.

"I just sneezed!" She coughed spitting up the blood that had run down her throat. Hermione winced when he pinched the bridge of her nose and tilted her head back, her throat swallowing reflexively.

"Don't swallow it, you'll make yourself sick..." Snape took the back of her head to keep her still. "Are you prone to nosebleeds?"

"Not really..." She made a face spitting up the blood from her mouth. She pressed the ruined nightshirt into her lips before continuing, "I used to get them when I was little, but nothing like this..."

Snape noted her voice sounded better, it was still hoarse but the horrible popping was gone. His brow twitched, there was so much blood.

"Professor...? I think... I'm going to..." The final word never made it. Her eyes rolled back and her body started to drop. Snape moved quickly wrapping his arm under her own to keep her from crashing to the floor.

Would his torture never end? He grunted picking her up into his arms. At his full strength, she was barely a burden. He carried her over to the fireplace, technically, since her feet weren't touching the ground, the spell on her anklet wouldn't activate. Not that he'd tell her that, she'd probably break her neck trying to walk on her hands.

He set her up in the chair and flicked his wand into his hand. A few small blood clotting charms stopped the heavy torrent but her face was looking rather pale. His hands cupped her cheeks thumbing her eyelids gently. Her eyes reacted to his face flicking as though to track him.

He released one side of her face and let her eyelids close before summoning a blood replenishing potion from his cabinet. His thumb gently worked her jaw open just as the potion landed into his hand.

Hermione felt heavy and dreadfully cold. It took effort but she managed to open her eyes just enough for the out of focus face of her professor to come into view. His hand was so warm in contrast and oddly soft. Calloused at the fingertips but his palm was smooth. She felt something cold and hard press gently to her lips and she let out a breath.

"Miss Granger, can you hear me?"

"Uh..huh?"

"I need you to swallow this."

Hermione blinked slowly before doing as instructed, the bitter taste was easily identified. She let her eyes close...just for a moment.

The next thing she knew she was in a rather soft bed. Softer than the one in her room. Her head rolled slowly to the feeling of someone moving her arms. Her fingers twitched before aiding them in their task. Slow, almost kind, hands guided her. It was unfamiliar but welcome all the same. Had it all been a dream? Her head rolled again with a soft moan when a warm air wafted over the skin of her stomach. Where was her shirt?

That thought sparked a small burst of adrenaline. Her eyes opened just enough to see two very large hands moving down from her bare shoulder. Worn fabric ran down her arm, a light scent of her own perfume wafted beneath her nose, so faintly she was sure she imagined it. The hands moved lifting her upper back. She managed to lift her head but only just, her barely slitted eyes taking in the face of her caretaker. Snape.

Snape was dressing her. Her heart jumped and her arms flexed to try to cover herself but his hand merely pushed them aside trying to lead her hand into the other sleeve. The clothes felt dirty. Worn. What was he dressing her in?

The smell of blood came next making her stomach roll. She managed to open her eyes just a bit wider as the pajama pants she was wearing started to descend. What was he doing?

Snape paused when her head lifted off the bed. Her unfocused eyes searching for him. He released her pants to the floor before leaning down over her. He watched a flicker of fear flash over her face before his whispered spell sent her back to sleep.

He needed to be quick. He had let her rest and gain her strength but the evening was approaching. His heart ached for what he was about to do. He hadn't wanted to do it. But her little moment had sparked an idea. If he could get her back into her fugue state, maybe, just maybe, they'd both survive.

What hurt the most, was that he couldn't tell her anything about what was going to happen next. His body felt tense. Almost the same as when he stood before Albus on the astronomy tower. What he was about to do could very much kill her, and damn them both.