Quietly Yours.

He stumbled into the room, disheveled and I composed. She had never seen him so..unkempt. His eyes scanned the library’s sitting room wildly, glassed over slightly, before they settled on her. She knew there was no point in denying it, she had been waiting for him to return. With Remus and Sirius at the Shrieking Shack for the full moon, he had been ‘volunteered.’ To stay within headquarters until they had returned.

She took him in, too concerned and quite frankly shocked to try and be covert about it. He was in muggle attire, a dark grey button up, one sleeve rolled up to his elbows, charcoal slacks, muggle Steele toes in place of his signature dragon hide. Taking him in a bit more, she notices his hair was missed, skin three shades paler than normal. His eyes were still glasses over, though he was focused on her as she propped herself up against the love-set she had begun to doze off on.

He was covered in what seemed to be mud, his face and neck were covered in cat-like scratches, and he was shaking rather violently, stance rigid and his steps faltering ever other step. Finding his eyes once more, she realized belatedly that he was crouching down in-front of her. With a sharp exhale, she saw his eighth twitch against his thigh. His eyes were impossibly dark, he opened his mouth several times to speak.

But it was she who broke the silence.

“Professor.. what.. what’s happened?”

“Only what must, as always.” His shoulders slumped slightly, he fell to his knees before her, his right hand rising slightly, griping the edge of her seat, so so close to her naked thigh. “It is late. Return to your room, stay in your room.”

She nodded once, moving to stand, when he hand moved forward, gripping her thigh, his eyes snapping shut. She heard him inhale sharply, clearing trying to regain his composure, but she needed to let him know it was okay. This was okay.

She moved her other leg out from under her, sitting upright, a leg at either side of his rigid form. Speaking softly, she tried to ground him.

“Professor.. it’s okay. You won’t hurt me.”

She had no clue if he was suffering under the after-effects of using dark magic, if he was hit with a lust curse; which is an emotion she had undeniable seen in his unfocused eyes only moments before.

Neither one of them spoke, neither one of them moved. Neither so much as let out a breath. Slowly, so slowly, his grip began to loosen, his hand slowly; almost reluctantly, slid down her thigh, tracing her skin kissed skin down to her bruised kneecap before he abruptly stood, backing several feet away from her in the blink of an eye, as though he had been hit with a potent bombarda-maxima.

Clenching his eyes shut once more, hands curling into fists at his sides, he rasped out to her, pleadingly.

“Please.. go to your room.”

She nodded even though he could not see her, standing and making her way through the entrance of the library, taking slow strides in hopes he may follow her.

————————————————————

Hermione broke the wards to his office, not stopping to catch her breath and she glanced around the room frantically. Her chest was rising violently as her lungs pleaded for a proper reprieve after she had ran at an inhuman speed from Gryffindor tower to the dungeons.

And met the widened eyes of Professor Severus Snape.

“Miss Granger, what on earth..?”

“What ever it is you think you have to do,” she began, speaking hastily while approaching him at his desk as he stood and rounded it, “You must not do it. Please.”

Though he paled, he played stupid.

“I haven’t the slightest-“

“Don’t do this now, Severus.”

“How do.. What do you know, Miss Granger?” He asked wearily, trying to be subtle about taking in her unkempt appearance and failing miserably.

“I took Felix Felicis. We all did. The DA. Please. There has to be another way. Whatever is..” Her hands were on his chest now, eyes so wide and honest and broken and for a split second she was certain she saw something in his deep charcoal eyes break. His hands rose to her elbows, both thumbs stroking soothingly as he shook his head.

And then she felt a piece of her soul break.

“I will do what I must, as I always do..”

Just then, heavy footsteps got closer to the open door of the potions masters office, revealed to be Professor Flitwick.

“Severus! Death eaters! They’ve infiltrated the castle! The dark-“ He didn’t finish his sentence.

Severus Snape stared openly bewildered at the witch who had just whirled around faster than the speed of light, stunning a teacher, a fellow member of the order, before he could finish his warning.

Turning her attention back to him, she took a step impossibly closer.

“Whatever is, I suspect no one is to know, and no is to question it. If you must, please take this.” Reaching in between her breasts under her thick jumper, she pulled out the remaining dose of liquid luck.

“I could not-“

And then he was silenced by her soft lips on his, and only for a split second were they the only two beings alive.

His lips moved against hers in a chaste, innocent, yet all consuming way and she felt her heart break every more.

And then, they were back in the midst of the beginning of the end.

Neither spoke as they broke the kiss, not for a moment.

Severus gently took the bottle from her, unstoppering it and downing the contents in one go.

Glancing at the door behind her, a shuddered sigh left him.

“You will… You will be safe?”

“Yes, sir. You will be safe?”

Looking into her eyes one last time, he allowed himself one more moment of weakness, or perhaps it was bravery she mused, as his pressed his lips to her forehead.

“I will try.”

Nodding against his lips, she felt the tears slowly trail down her cheeks, not looking back as she felt him leave her presence and make his way to what she could only assume to be another impossible chess move manipulated by one or the other of his masters.

————————————————————

She woke with a start, her chest constricting and her throat feeling as though it was closed. A silent sob racked her body as she recalled the memories that had resurfaced as she was unconscious, the feeling of fear overwhelming her as she realized she had undoubted lost even more time. Taking a few deep breaths, she steeled her self, gently drawing upon her occlumency shields  as she began to take in her surroundings.

The twins were in their respective cots, though not in the make shift nursery, but by her bedside. Her bed felt bigger, and then she noticed it was not her bed at all. Looking around the room, she realized she was in the very library she had been in the night she had relieved in her slumber. But that meant..

“Severus?” She rose slowly, bracing herself for the familiar pain in her lower abdomen, feeling nothing of the sort. Glancing down curiously at her stomach, as if she’d be able to see her internal ailment mended, she noticed her hips were not as prominent as she had recalled. Her skin was no longer tinged that dastardly yellow color. Her throat felt scratchy, but now that she was calm it did not feel tight.

Looking around the room once more, she decided to push her luck and stand.throwing her feet over the side of the bed, she noticed she was even in different clothes. She adorned her favorite blue stripped muggle pajama pants, and an exceedingly loose and large plain black long-sleeved shirt. Gently placing her bare feet against the cold stone of the floor, she stood slowly, deducing she may need support to stand and move around as she didn’t know how long she had been out this time around.

Half crouching, bracing herself against the bed. She moved towards the two bassinets that were beside her bed. She hadn’t been able to truly take in her children since the first week after she woke up post partum.

They had definitely grown, time had defiantly passed. They were both much fuller now, Regulus sporting much more prominent freckles than when she had last laid eyes on him, Isobel seemed to have taken up the habit of sucking her thumb as she lazily popping it into her mouth in her sleep.

Tears welled in her eyes, the helplessness she felt hitting her full force with the uncertainty of everything around her.

“Hermione.” A desperate whisper reached her ears as she looked away from his children and was faced with Severus Snape, staring at her with what she could only describe as desperation. He moved quickly, all but sheep-dogging her back onto the bed. Crouching down before her, once again making her relive an all too fresh Deja vu, he looked her over.

“How- how do you feel?” He choked out, right thumb stroking the inside of her left wrist.

And once again, she began to weep.

She was so, so tired of crying.

“I’m confused. I’m scared. I don’t know when is when and what is what. I’m in your bed, the twins are huge, I want this to be over and I don’t even know what’s truly wrong with me.” He surprised her then, head falling to her stomach as he himself began to cry. His arms encircled her waist, he held onto her desperately, as if she may whither away if he let go. Who knows, she might.

They stayed like that for an Undistinguished whole amount of time, long after the tears stopped, comforting each-other in silence. A shuddered exhale met her with words.

“It is. It’s over. Bill will be back soon and we will explain. But please, you are weak. Very weak. Your magical core has suffered a great deal, and you must rest. I know you’re tired of resting, but pleaseHermione,” he lifted his head, a new wave of tears in his eyes. Face so open, so raw with his emotions she felt her heart squeeze again, “you must rest.”

She nodded dumbly, laying back as he rose to sit by her side, his hand moving back to encircle her wrist again, adding just the right amount of pressure to ease her mind and body, coaxing it back into a very light slumber.