5

Sorry for the lateness. Life got in the way. Thanks as always go to Ayerf and Septentrion. All mistakes are my own, however.

Hermione followed Snape up the spiral staircase to the Headmaster's office. She was glad it was so late at night – or had it turned to morning already? – that no one was about to see her humiliation. He had bound her again, this time with an enchanted chain around her neck, making her follow him like a dog. The only thing that would have made the humiliation even more complete was stripping her bare and forcing her to march through Hogwarts nude, but he seemed to be saving that humiliation for later.

She shuddered at the thought of what was coming, though she kept her eyes open. There had to be a way to escape. Maybe after Madam Pomfrey had seen to Ron, she would be able to smuggle them out somewhere... somehow.

Snape disappeared through the office door, levitating Ron before him. She had been impressed that he'd been able to Side-Along both of them concurrently without even the smallest sign of the strain she'd felt when she'd done it. It was depressing how powerful Snape was. It was more than depressing, really. It was scary.

A slight tug on the chain urged her to move faster, and she walked into the office to find Snape opening a door beside one of the portraits. She noticed that all of the portraits were awake and looking at them. Dumbledore caught her eye and offered her a small smile that she couldn't return. It made her angry that he could even think a smile was appropriate.

Another tug on the chain had her stumbling through the door and into a bedroom lined with bookshelves. The only thing to break the line of the shelves was a large four poster bed in the middle of the far wall. Snape floated Ron over to it and carefully lowered him.

She would have been touched by his care except she knew the reason for his care was anything but benign. As soon as Ron was on the bed, Snape turned and stalked out of the room, dragging her with him.

Her stomach clenched in fear, but she followed. She saw him swing the door to the stairway shut and then he made his way to the fireplace, throwing a pinch of Floo powder in.

"Poppy, I need your assistance," he called without sticking his head into the flames or otherwise leaving himself defenseless. Hermione let out a silent breath of relief. Calling Poppy in meant he wasn't going to rape her right there, in front of all the former headmasters. Calling Poppy meant that maybe Ron would be healed soon.

The flames turned green and out swirled the school matron, who looked less than pleased to see Snape.

"What assistance do you need, Headmaster?"

Snape scowled, then gestured for her to go into his bedroom. Poppy turned and gasped when she saw Hermione and the chain, before her face collapsed into a defeated scowl.

"Sooner rather than later, if you please," Snape said sharply.

Poppy turned her scowl on Snape and then haughtily preceded him into the bedroom, where Hermione heard her gasp again.

When she entered after them, she found Snape explaining Ron's condition in cool tones while Poppy waved her wand over Ron, her face growing more and more pinched with every diagnostic charm.

"Headmaster! Why did you not bring this boy in sooner? The poison has seeped into his bloodstream and is destroying his innards as we speak!"

"I had other business to attend to, Poppy. I'm sure you can appreciate how busy I am." Madam Pomfrey shot Snape a scowl that rivaled his worst. Her mouth was so tightly drawn it was barely visible.

"Well, Headmaster, I would appreciate it if you took your business elsewhere so I can try to heal the boy."

Snape gave her a sarcastic bow then turned to leave. Before he reached the door, he paused and said, "Oh, and if he regains consciousness, please do let me know. He has some information the Dark Lord and I need."

He then left the room, dragging Hermione with him by the chain. When the bedroom door was closed, he set himself down behind his desk and motioned for Hermione to sit in a chair opposite.

Everything she had been through that evening, from the capture and torture to the conversation he'd had with Voldemort to the way Snape was treating Ron as nothing more than an inconvenience raged through her, and Hermione declined the seat, saying, "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer me to sit by your feet, sir? I hear that's what a dog is supposed to do."

He merely snorted and smirked at her. "Whether you classify yourself as a bitch or not, I would prefer you sit in the chair and pretend you are human." He flicked his wand at her and she found herself propelled backwards into the chair. "Of course, if you want, I would be happy to issue commands such as sit, stay and don't speak."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, anything, but he shot her a warning look and gave her chain a warning rattle. She snapped her mouth shut and crossed her arms against her chest, leaning back to sulk.

He watched her with amusement before muttering, "Good girl," and turning to the paperwork on his desk.

She couldn't help but growl.

*

Her anger only kept her occupied for the first half hour. After that, worry started creeping in. Soon she had forgotten all about Snape and was only thinking of the friend beyond the door. As the minutes passed, her worry grew. Madam Pomfrey was able to heal almost everything within only a few minutes. Her transformation back to human during the Polyjuice disaster had taken so long only because Madam Pomfrey hadn't been able to do anything. She'd had to wait out the potion's ill-effects.

She brought her feet up onto the chair and held onto her legs as she watched the door. Every now and again, Snape would rustle a parchment which would startle her into looking at him, but her eyes always returned to the door.

It was starting to get light outside when the door finally did open, and a weary matron stepped out.

Snape put aside the letter he'd been holding and looked at her, although he did not stand. She shot him a nasty look before quickly donning her professional mask, though she did not speak.

Snape finally had to prompt her, "Well?"

"Alive," Pomfrey answered shortly. "I cannot guarantee his survival, or even a return to consciousness anytime soon."

Snape nodded, suddenly looking tired. "Very well."

"He will need care if there is any hope for survival. It would be best if he were moved to the hospital wing."

"No," Snape said, shaking his head. "If he needs care, Miss Granger can provide it, but he is not leaving my suite."

Poppy glanced at Hermione's neck shackle, and her face hardened again. Turning back to Snape she offered a very curt nod. "If that is how you wish it to be. I will be back later today to teach Miss Granger what to do."

Snape nodded. Poppy took that as a dismissal and left without another word. Snape turned to look at Hermione and leaned back in his chair, releasing a breath.

"And now for you," he said.

Hermione had been so worried about Ron, she had forgotten why she was with Snape in the first place. Fear filled her, and she looked to the door that Poppy had just gone through, wondering if she could make a break for it.

Before she could do anything, Snape waved his wand and she froze in place, unable to move. He came around the desk and conjured a stool only inches away from her. Hermione held her breath as he leaned in, locking eyes with her.

"Restituo furtum recordatio," he said, enunciating very clearly. Suddenly, everything came back to her. Him casting his doe Patronus, her telling him about the Horcruxes (she winced at that), him working feverishly over Ron, looking worried and sad... She drew in a big breath and was surprised that she exhaled a sob.

Snape relaxed backwards, and, with a quick wave of his wand, she was free of both the Body Bind and the chain around her neck.

"We will need to be very careful from here on out, Miss Granger," he said, rubbing his face as he returned to his desk chair. "And you will have to be very careful not to look anybody in the eye. If the Dark Lord comes to visit, I will sedate you. Do you understand?"

She nodded her head, still overwhelmed by relief.

"I suggest you go to bed, then. I dare say you need the rest."

She nodded again, stretching out her legs slowly, realizing with a wince that she had been sitting in that position for longer than she'd thought. While she let her legs adjust to having blood-flow again, she looked at the door to the bedroom and frowned.

"Sir," she asked tentatively, "what do you think Ron's chances are?"

He sighed and rubbed his face again, looking even more weary. "Not good. Even if Poppy managed to counteract the poison successfully, there was, as she pointed out, a lot of internal damage. And, to be frank, it would be easier for all of us if he did not survive. If he regains his health and refuses to tell what he knows about Potter, he will be tortured."

Hermione looked as stricken as she felt, but nodded bravely. "I see."

"I suspect that Poppy has given him something to keep him unconscious. If he should regain consciousness while in your care, I do not want to know about it you will tell me immediately. Understood?"

She looked at him shrewdly for a moment, wondering if non-verbal messages were communicated by Legilimency, before nodding. "Yes, sir. I will let you know when he's conscious."

She had just made it onto her feet when her stomach growled rather loudly. Snape looked up from his letter, raising an eyebrow at her. She offered him an embarrassed smile and started walking for the bedroom only to be stopped by Snape.

"I don't suppose the three of you ever thought to go into Muggle towns and nick food?" His tone was derisive.

She frowned at him and shook her head. "It isn't right to steal."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Save me the morality lesson, Miss Granger, and sit down." He pointed at the chair she'd just vacated.

Looking at him warily, she complied and was surprised when he summoned two big bowls of chicken soup with a full loaf of crusty bread.

"Besides," she said breathily, eying the food ravenously, "there was never much available where we wouldn't be seen."

He waved his wand again and her chair was pulled up to the desk cum table. He looked as if he wanted to grin at her expression, but he merely raised an eyebrow instead. He waved his hand at her for her to start, and she eagerly dug into her soup. Halfway through the bowl, she reached for the bread but, not seeing a knife with which to cut it, greedily broke into it with her hands. She caught Snape watching her, and offered him a chunk. He looked like he wanted to raise his eyebrow mockingly again but surprised her by nodding politely and taking the smaller piece.

They didn't talk, but their silence was surprisingly companionable. When she'd finished a third bowl of soup and the last bit of her bread, she found her eyes drifting shut. She leaned back into her chair with a contented sigh, and mumbled a sleepy thanks to a bemused Snape before falling fast asleep.