Hermione returned home with renewed confidence. Her talk with Galia brief if enlightening. She was going to do this, she could do this, she wanted to do this. Every small kiss that they had shared had definitely meant something to her body, she knew without a doubt that her heart was ready for more. Her body ached to feel his touch, she could almost sympathize with Ron, almost.

It was a most powerful and mind-disorienting feeling. Perhaps what amazed her the most was that despite everything she had learned about the man whom with she shared her bed he had always been receiving of her touch. Whenever she would take his hand or sit beside him just to feel his strength, he never pulled away from her. It was only when he initiated touch did he seem hesitant and cautious.

Even that morning when he'd touched her back, it was like he was waiting for her to give him permission to touch her. A caring hand was different though. Her mind knew it and so did her heart. He cared for her—there was no question—but did he love her? Hermione's steps slowed as she walked the lonely road leading towards the house she called home. Did she love him?

They were surprisingly more compatible than she would have ever believed them to be. The months they had spent together under Galia's watchful eye had seen that they had very few altercations. They still argued now, but it was more like an academic debate than an actual argument. She had come to learn his little habits and his tells. How meticulous he was with everything he did. How he was nearly obsessed with having a clean kitchen but didn't extend that sort of obsession to the living area.

Hermione had been nearly ready to pull her hair out when he'd double stacked their books instead of just extending the shelf. His system of organization was still foreign to her but he was able to find anything he was looking for without pause. She'd also noticed how the little vein on his temple would pulse when he was becoming frustrated. The way his lip would curl ever so slightly when she would sit beside him, it was hard to see, but it was there.

He was a good man, a kind, patient man. He was everything she didn't even know she wanted. She had a wealth of happy memories of them merely living their lives. Going about their days and eating dinner together. Even the one day in the summer when they'd been turning the soil for next years crops making a massive mud hole in the process. She had been finding dirt in odd places weeks after their battle in the mud and she was sure he had simply thrown away his clothes from that day as there were surely unrepairable. That had been the first day he had laughed, truly laughed. It had been so beautiful to her that she had completely lost the battle.

The memory brought another smile to her face and she pushed open the front door. The house was pleasantly warm compared to the bitter cold that seemed to have befallen their little town. It had snowed only once that season but the sky today looked desperate to release another round. Hermione just hoped that their makeshift greenhouse for Severus' potion herbs would be alright.

"I'm back." Hermione sighed softly pulling the scarf from around her neck. She hadn't bundled up too much as the walk was barely ten minutes from their house to the Inn. Though, she was starting to regret the choice when she looked down at her reddened fingers.

"Welcome back." Severus' voice trailed into the small hallway from the living room and Hermione smiled softly at it. She didn't remember when he'd started to welcome her back, but it was a trend she never wanted to end. She kicked off her boots, switching them out for her house shoes and made her way down into the living area where she found all the other books she'd stashed away in her bag pulled out onto the large coffee table. She harrumphed softly but wasn't truly upset. He had, after all, asked her to pick up a few books he needed for the potions he was making for the town.

"Apologies, I wasn't sure when you would return." Severus glanced up at her from where he was scratching away notes on a spare bit of parchment.

"It's alright, I knew what I was getting into when I moved in with a bibliophile." Hermione chuckled softly leaning down to kiss his cheek. His wide eyes of surprise making her grin wider. "Those aren't library books, by the way, they're all yours. You can write in them if you want to."

"You bought them?" He leaned back, slowly looking down over the table. There had to be at least 15 books there. While some of them looked gently worn he was starting to see that most of them looked new. "They...these are expensive books..."

"Consider them an early Christmas present." Hermione took the seat beside him looking down at the notes he'd been making. "Wow...these are...complex. What are you trying to do?" Hermione was mindful not to touch but she did lean further to try and follow his logic.

Severus didn't answer, rather he sat back, watching her think. It was a rather beautiful thing to watch when he allowed himself the privilege. Pushing her Christmas comment to the back of his mind, for now, he merely enjoyed the way her fingers twitched and her mouth moved as she ran through his calculations.

Hermione was almost sure she'd figured out what he had been trying to do when a small thought pushed itself forward making itself known with ringing bells. "Oh, Crisse! I forgot about Harry!"

"Excuse me?" Severus had actually jumped, not that he would ever admit it. He had seen her recognize what he'd done before her mind took a sharp turn. Her exclamation disorienting his senses.

"Harry, he...oh bugger..." She closed her eyes for a moment rubbing at her temples before shifting to face Severus. "I...he... there's this party, that he asked my help with and..."

"You are free to attend anything you wish..." He wasn't following her distress.

"I know, I know." She grinned lopsidedly, giving the hand on his knee a small squeeze. He had made it clear, crystal in fact, that she was allowed to be wherever whenever she wanted. That she didn't need his permission to do anything that concerned her 'other life' as he'd so aptly named it. "The thing is..." She lowered her head gently playing with his fingers, "It wasn't just an invitation for myself...but rather..." She swallowed slowly gathering her resolve, "Harry invited you as well...He really wants to speak with you."

Hermione felt a wall come down between them so fast it actually came like a physical blow. His eyes that had been shining warmly to her touch turned to ice in an instant. The world turned slowly when his hand pulled out from under hers and he rose to his feet turning himself to face the fire. She didn't know what to do in that moment other than to stay silent and still. There was no danger in the air but it was thick. The room went silent for a good ten minutes before a deep voice cracked the silence like a deep roll of thunder of an approaching storm.

"Will Mister Weasley be in attendance?"

"I...I don't know..." She hadn't even thought to ask. The last she had heard was that he was receiving therapy at a live-in facility for his night terrors and that he was disqualified from the Auror programme do to his 'unstable' nature. A whispered voice asked a question to which she could find no answer: Why did he want to know?

The air went still again and Hermione could feel her own heart starting to race. What if he was going to be there? Surely Harry would have invited his family, he was basically their adopted child and future son-in-law, it would have been illogical not to. She was suddenly not so eager to attend herself, especially with the dream from that night still fresh in her mind; still, she had offered to help Harry prepare. She couldn't go back on her word now.

Severus turned to find the woman who had shined a light inside of his darkness folding in on her destructive thoughts. He really had no desire to see any of those she called friends but he knew his personal opinion on their idiocy was his own burden to bear. He above most knew that for the greater good, sacrifices must be made. He turned away from the fireplace to rejoin her side. He didn't sit but did offer out his hand for her to take. When it folded so perfectly into his own he brought her to her feet.

It was time to remind her how strong she was. How brave, fierce and unequivocally brilliant she was. It was time for her to shake loose the shackles that she had bound herself in.

"Do you trust me?"

Hermione raised her head but didn't fully understand, nevertheless she nodded her head and took the guided step closer, feeling his arm wrap around her back to keep her close.

"Implicitly..."

Severus nodded his head and brought his hand up to shield her face. He remembered just how much she hated his form of apparation but it was also the only way they were going to get where they needed to go.

"Don't let go."

oOo

"Please, mom! I know I can handle it. I've been doing so well. Even the healers said so. I only get the weekend to be home for Christmas and I don't want to stay locked in the house like some ghoul."

"This is not up for debate, Ronald. You shall remain home, end of discussion. Harry has already said he was going to come to our house after the party. He's going to spend Christmas morn with us if only for Ginny's sake. You've already pushed your luck with him, you'd best remember that not all things can be forgiven."

Ron hung his head pushing back the tears in his eyes with the palms of his hand. His mother had been completely unforgiving to him ever since Harry had let her read the letter Hermione had written to apologize for leaving her birthday party. He had almost had to be put back into St. Mungo's from his mother's wrath that had followed. She'd almost completely denounced him as her son before his father had calmed her down. Of course, his father had been disappointed in him as well. There was no light in his eyes when he came to see him. He was sure the only reason he came at all was to keep his mother from putting herself into Azkaban.

Though this was months ago, and the waters had somewhat calmed and Ron had been doing everything he could to try and win back his mothers love. It had been a slow process. That in combination with the potions they kept him on made progress slow. Half the time he just felt completely drugged out of his mind. Twice he had attacked an orderly, believing that it had been Snape in disguise trying to poison him.

"I shall come to pick you up in the morning." Molly turned out of the room with tears shining in the corner of her furrowed eyes. She loved her son to the ends of the Earth, but sometimes lessons needed to be learned the hard way.

oOo

"Relax your body. Close your eyes and calm your mind." Severus walked slowly around the woman sitting in an old chair. The room they found themselves in had no windows and only a small blue flame above to cast dark shadows. It was a place he hadn't visited in some time. A place, where he too, had fought his demons. Hidden away inside a steep mountain the Occlumens' cave had been shone to him in his youth by Dumbledore who had sought to enhance his natural gift and make him impervious to anything the Dark Lord would have thrown at him. He had spent weeks, inside its solitude honing his skills and sharpening his mind.

The natural recess of the cave blocked out all sound, natural light, and wind leaving it as still as death. It was a place where the mind roamed free creating things that could have been. While most seeking its power were driven to madness by its depths, a skilled mind could use its inherent magic to call forth any memory they chose. It was the perfect place for inner demons to roam.

"Your mind is like an endless web, reaching out and connecting with itself. The path your memories take is not always direct. Our dreams, our subconscious thoughts are like a spider crawling over its lines, pulling in everything it touches."

Hermione let a slow breath pass her parted lips and let the sound of his voice take her under its hypnotic spell. Images gradually took shape inside her mind creating landscapes she had never seen before.

Severus took a silent step forward pulling a soft strip of cloth from his pocket. "You must allow your mind to wander. To take you where it needs you to go. Trust your heart to lead the way to the light." He brought his hands around carefully pulling the blindfold over her eyes. Hermione only took a deep breath when he tied it into place, trusting him completely.

"When you are ready, stand and face your demons." He pressed a solemn kiss to the top of her head before pressing his wand to her temple. The spell he whispered would allow the images to form around her, bringing reality to the darkness they hid inside. She would see them from inside and he on the outside, allowing him to pull her back if she was not yet ready. He let out a deep breath of his own taking to the back wall to watch the gentle curl of light moving in abstract circles around her form. He silently prayed to any deity that would hear him that he was making the right decision.

Hermione lowered her head down to her chest. The small blue light that had pressed against her eyes was gone, leaving her completely encased in darkness. Her mind turned and curled as she felt her mental restraints breaking one by one. Not even the sound of Severus breathing broke the silence that was starting to become so loud she was sure there had been nothing else to hear. Her own heartbeat was lost underneath by the time she found the will to stand. She was safe, she was protected.

Severus banished away the chair when Hermione came to her feet. Standing at her side, he watched her face turn and twist as her thoughts started to come to form. The lights painted the walls around him to faded blue stone and he knew instantly where she had gone. The light swirled and turned forming an image of herself overtop of the one who stood before him.

The materialized version of herself hung by her wrists, her head down and turned as she tried to turn her head away from someone. A deep voice filled the room making the living Hermione grow tense, her hands clenching tightly by her sides.

'I doubt a true death eater would look, everywhere...'

A faceless man appeared to Hermione's back causing her chest to stutter. She could feel his breath, even now, his wretched scent filling her nose. When the man's hand roamed her form she couldn't lift her own to stop him, held in place by now visible mental ties keeping her frozen in place.

Severus could feel his own blood starting to boil as the memory continued to play. He had had his own nightmares similar to her own memory. Helpless to save her. He took full responsibility for what he was seeing now. He curled his crossed arms tighter, nearly clawing his skin through the thick fabric of his coat as he restrained himself from going to her side and ending the spell. She needed to work through it, break the chains that held her in place.

The faceless man moved closer, raising his hands up, dragging them slowly down her arms and along her sides. He pressed his cheek into the back of her shoulders while making a point to press himself into her from behind.

Hermione struggled against herself trying move away, but found herself trapped like aways. Her head lowered down leaving her ethereal form in her place. Her face snarled with disgust not only from the man whose touch she could still feel but for her own weakness. A deep growl of frustration left her throat as she moved one step forward out of her memory's body. The weight on her ankle pulled but it only rose her higher. She snarled and pulled her other leg free, panting heavily from the effort.

The man remained as he was, touching her memory. His hand pulled away from her waist to pull her hair aside while the other, dipped beneath her shirt slowly feeling it's way across her fluttering stomach. When she stepped back away from his hand and into something else his hand lowered down between her legs, pressing hard between.

'Nothing but a death eater's whore, you want me so bad, I can feel it."

More slurs passed his lips and for a moment his voice started to change, mixing with another. Two worlds struggled to take hold of the other leaving a mismatched visual representation before coming to rights again. The hand that had been between her legs dipped beneath the waistband of her slacks and the other had risen back to her chest; making her ethereal form whimper.

Hermione pulled hard on the binds that held her but still found herself unable to move. Tears were streaming down her face dropping from her chin like rain. Her entire body felt cold and dirty. She wanted to scream, she wanted to fight. If only she could move! She had to find her will, the drive, her fight. She couldn't let these memories hold her captive anymore. She wanted desperately to move forward. To experience happiness, the joy and the feeling of another's touch without the heart-wrenching pain that followed.

Severus took a half a step when her face contorted and her body started to fold forward. It was only when her voice passed her lips did he truly feel that she was going to make it. Like a crack growing in a window pane, he could feel her power growing. She was so close, she could do this.

"Don't... Don't touch me..." Her words tremored in the darkness but a power was rising from the depths. A small shift, a baby step, moved her further away from the scene at her back.

"Don't..." Hermione's bared teeth muffled her words but the shaking in her arms was starting to fade away to a strength she hadn't known existed inside her. "Don't touch me!" Her voice cracked but her body turned breaking the chains at her feet. The sound echoed loudly ricocheting through her mind dispelling the mist around her.

The world went dark for a few breath stopping moments and Hermione struggled to catch her breath. She had turned and faced the man, the strength of her will casting him into thousands of little orbs to be dissolved in the darkness. Her body trembled as she tried to lift her hands but found that the weight remained. Her mind spiraled moving swiftly outside of her command and a new memory began to form.

Severus' eyes flared with contempt as the world around them morphed into what was supposed to have been a safe place. A bed, and two bodies slowly came to form right before him. As contorted as his reasoning was, he blamed himself for this as well. Watching the memory in the boy's mind and then her own had nearly unleashed a fury the likes of which the world had never seen. His eyes turned to the woman struggling to breathe, to raise her hands. Her pain, his own, the bitter taste of betrayal.

'You're so beautiful...yes...ah...you feel so good...'

Hermione rose herself as much as she could, a look of unfathomable pain washing over her features. The fight she had found inside her was going out, swallowed deep by a pain she never could understand.

"You were my friend..." Hermione could hardly hear her own voice over the breaking of her heart, "I trusted you...You were supposed to help me..."

'I could be your master, be everything ah you could mmm ever want...'

Severus snarled a deep growl bubbling up the back of his throat. The full memory had been distorted when he'd first looked at it. Broken and hazed from her fugue state. The boy's words made him want to tear him limb from limb and burn the remains in a large pit of enchanted fire that would reach even his soul in the afterlife.

The words that haunted her nights and the boy at her back warped and twisted as his hands moved over places he had no business touching. His apology had only included that he touched her breast but her fugue mind had remembered so much more. The arm that had been meant to bring comfort explored her skin with ravish attention.

Hermione's stomach curled and twisted as she watched his body start to rock against hers, the arm that had been gentle and kind turning like a vice to keep her in place. Her side pulsed and she pulled on her chains to try and stop his invading hands. She didn't want this, she'd never wanted this. He was her friend, like a brother, her partner in arms.

A miniscule step forward wrapped the pain tight in her heart, "Why...? Why would you do this to me? After everything... everything...we fought for...?" A sharp sob cut off her words.

The scene faded in and out as her focus turned gradually to the feeling of heavy shackles weighing down her wrists. The feeling of being completely helpless overtaking her even though in some part of her mind she stood completely free. She the sound of her mental shackles rang out through the space as she struggled to raise her hands. She needed to see Severus, she needed to know he was there. She couldn't do this...

"I trusted you..." A choking sob cut off the rest of her mantra nearly taking her feet out from under her. Her hands shook as she struggled to raise them, to push away his hands.

"I trusted you!" Her voice rose with power and her hands came up to push away the blindfold as well. Her eyes turning in the darkness looking down at the scene, "And you betrayed me!"

The scene shattered just like the other had, her eyes taking in everything as her chest heaved. When the last of the light faded away she found the world a brighter place, impossibly so given the small enchanted flame over head yet still, the weight and the darkness she had been carrying with her was gone. She was new, she was free.

"Oh, Severus..." Hermione was caught mid-step in the arms of the man who had been by her side through it all. The pressure inside her that she hadn't even known was there released like a crumbled dam. Heaving sobs quieted to soft pain releasing gasps.

The feeling of the buttons on his coat pressing into her cheek released a most powerful torrent of cleansing tears down her face. "I did it..."

"You are so brave..." Severus wrapped her up tight in his arms pressing a meaningful kiss to her brow.

"Thank you..." Hermione sniffled and lifted her head to look into his shining eyes. Another shaky breath proceeded her lifting to meet him in a kiss that meant so much more than words could ever express.