VI

Warning: This chapter contains some brief uncomfortableness along the same lines as chapter 4.

VI.

Dobby and Hermione appeared in the middle of the infirmary with a loud crack that reverberated around the room. Hermione, who was still looking down at Dobby, noticed he seemed rather drained from the effort.

"Miss Granger?" an astonished voice said, making Hermione look up. It only took a moment to realize two things. One, Madam Pomfrey was looking at her as if she were the Dark Lord back from the dead... again. It was as if she'd never seen a severely injured, nearly naked student Apparate into the infirmary before.

The other thing Hermione realized was that Dobby's magic was obviously no longer holding her up because the floor was racing toward her quite maliciously. She landed with a crunch and thought she heard her nose pop. She was hurting so much she couldn't isolate any single source of pain anymore, so she couldn't gauge whether her nose was broken or not.

It didn't take long before Pomfrey snapped out of her shock and responded to her, but to Hermione, it felt as if ages had passed. Everything was so hazy; it was like viewing life in slow motion. In the fog. With the mute button pressed.

As her body was lifted and set upon a bed, she could see, barely, that Madam Pomfrey was talking, but she couldn't hear anything besides a loud, persistent hum. She wasn't too worried about it. She was kind of relieved to get a break from one sense, seeing as her nerves were getting stretched to the limit.

She thought about it and realized she didn't feel any pain anymore. She knew her head should be hurting something fierce, but all she was aware of was that persistent hum. It was so very distracting. She decided that being distracted was a good thing at that moment.

Her foggy sight was obscured by a blue haze, and suddenly the hum was gone. Suddenly her head felt fine. Suddenly she was aware that the rest of her body was in agony. She suddenly wished for that hum to come back again.

"Mrs. Snape! Can you hear me? Mrs. Snape, you need to look at me. I need to make sure I've healed your concussion completely." Madam Pomfrey was nearly shouting, and Hermione winced from the noise. She looked at the matron and willed her to lower her voice. Now that the hum was gone her hearing was just fine.

She was surprised to find Pomfrey looking relieved when she got eye contact. The last time she'd seen Madam Pomfrey, she was pretty sure the mediwitch had wanted to strangle her, but considering her life was in her hands at this moment, she was glad to have the witch's compassion.

"Well," Pomfrey said with a sigh, "I believe I've healed all the damage there. You are very lucky to be alive, young lady!" she tutted, waving her wand over Hermione's body. Her scowl became more and more pronounced as she progressed.

"Should I even ask what happened to you?" Pomfrey finally asked after completing the scan.

"Oh, you know me. I was just looking for more trouble," Hermione quipped bitterly, though her voice was too tired for much bite. The words were enough because Pomfrey turned an interesting shade of red and pointed her wand at Hermione's chest.

Mentally sighing, Hermione reflected that baiting a temperamental person while defenseless might not be the best idea. She closed her eyes expecting the worst, but let out a breath of relief when the only spell that hit her was a Healing Charm. Soon the pain in Hermione's chest eased substantially and breathing became easier.

Without taking her eyes off of Hermione's injuries, Pomfrey said, "I must apologize, Mrs. Snape. When you Flooed me the other night, I was unaware of the law. All I knew was that you and Severus were married under highly irregular circumstances that didn't reflect well on either of you." Hermione pressed her lips together to prevent herself from saying anything antagonizing. "I assumed, judging by Severus' mood when he came by for the diagnosis, that he was not pleased to be in such a situation. And when you Flooed... I behaved in a completely unprofessional manner, and I'm sorry for everything I implied."

Hermione relaxed a little more, partly because of Poppy's words, partly because the pain in her leg was receding. Starting to feel a bit sleepy and happy, she decided that Poppy might not be so bad after all.

"Well, I would like to accept your apology, Madam Pomfrey, but seeing as I'm not Mrs. Snape, that might be difficult." Hermione watched Pomfrey for a reaction, and sure enough, Poppy went from looking confused to flustered to angry quite quickly. Before she could retort, though, Hermione winked and said, "My name is Ms. Granger now."

She had expected Madam Pomfrey to scowl and berate her for being such a smart-arse, but instead, the matron burst into giggles.

"Ooh, I expect Severus took that well, didn't he?" she managed to say between giggles. "Or have you told him yet?"

Smiling foggily, Hermione related the scene in the Entrance Hall the previous evening. Poppy laughed in all the right places, though she did frown a bit when Hermione revealed that both she and Snape had hit Lucius with Stunners. She was a Healer, after all.

After the giggles had died down to a comfortable silence, Hermione realized that she might actually like Madam Pomfrey.

"I think I'd like it if you called me Hermione," she said through a big yawn.

Madam Pomfrey graced her with a large, toothy smile and said, "Thank you, dear. And please, call me Poppy." Hermione smiled back, rather stunned at how different this confrontation had gone from what she'd expected and commented on that.

"Yes, well," Poppy said almost sheepishly, "I'm afraid you caught me at a bad moment that night. I had only gone to bed fifteen minutes before you Flooed, so I was a little... on edge, shall we say?"

Hermione giggled at the understatement. "I've never seen you react so... I don't know, so harshly before," Hermione observed as she closed her eyes, allowing the feeling of her body mending to lull her further into a relaxed state.

"I must admit that I have a bit of a soft spot for Severus." Hermione's eyes popped open, her suspicions renewed.

"You... you like him a lot, don't you?"

Poppy smiled at her. "Of course I do! He's the most challenging patient I've ever had, constantly keeping me on my toes. Keeping him healthy is damned difficult, too, especially with his retched allergies. I can't seem to find a potion that he'll tolerate for more than three treatments before he breaks out in hives." Poppy shrugged while waving her wand over Hermione's foot, righting the damage done. "It's frustrating, but the challenge is invigorating.

"Of course, getting him to submit to treatment is also fun," Poppy said, sending Hermione a wink and a sly grin, "though I don't necessarily envy you having to live with him. I'm always happy enough to send him back to his rooms after I get him sorted out."

"So... You don't, er, that is..." Hermione felt the blood rushing to her face and decided, Gryffindor or not, she wouldn't ask Poppy whether she'd had a relationship with Severus. It was just too embarrassing.

Poppy, however, seemed to know what was going through Hermione's head and started chuckling. "I'm not the only one making assumptions, hmm?" she said and laughed a little more when Hermione turned an even brighter red. "Rest easy, child. He's all yours. I'll admit that I've wished my husband had a voice like Severus', but otherwise, I'm very happy with Mister Pomfrey."

Hermione thought she was relieved, but embarrassment was overriding most emotions at that point. That and sleepiness.

"Truth be told, I feel a bit sorry for you and Severus," Poppy continued. "I'll grant that you probably have a personality to withstand his, but you two have a hard road laid out. I'm not sure I know what Albus was thinking, forcing you to make such an enormous decision so quickly. I certainly can't approve of putting you in such a stressful situation!" She sighed, adding, "Of course, if any of you had known that stupid law was going to be repealed so quickly, you probably wouldn't have put yourselves in this situation in the first place, now would you?"

Hermione hummed in sleepy agreement until the words sifted through the fog; she shot straight up and stared at Poppy aghast.

"What did you say?"

Poppy recoiled slightly from the sudden energy Hermione was exuding. "Which part, dear?" she asked cautiously.

"The part about the law being repealed."

Poppy's mouth made a small 'o' as realization sunk in. "Oh, dear, you haven't heard, have you? The evening the law was announced, a large group of protesters invaded the Ministry, and the Minister was forced to repeal the law immediately. They say it was the largest protest ever seen in the Wizarding world. I heard the Ministry was also being swamped by Howlers."

Hermione sat there soaking up the information for a moment. She had married Snape for nothing. She had placed herself in dangerous and unhappy situations for nothing. She'd nearly suffered a nervous breakdown for no reason. Dumbledore had made her worry, kept her busy researching, and then he made her give up hope for nothing? He'd recommended she make a drastic, irrevocable decision, and it was all for nothing?

Hermione was only barely aware that she was moving. She was only barely aware of Poppy's objections to her movement. All Hermione was conscious of was the rage she was feeling, and the need to find an outlet for releasing it.

She had made it halfway to the door when she found herself under the Petrificus Totalus once again, and this time she wasn't in a stable position. She started to fall forward, but was stopped by another incantation of Poppy's.

It took a moment, but soon Hermione was facing Madam Pomfrey in all her sternness. "You are in no condition to leave the hospital yet, madam. I don't care how angry you are at Severus; you need your rest right now."

She waved her wand, and both spells dissipated. Hermione stumbled forward, barely catching her balance. Before she could straighten up, she felt a firm hand on her arm and looked over to see Madam Pomfrey staring at her sternly.

"Save the tirade for later. Your bones may be healed, but that doesn't mean you're ready to face the world yet!"

Hermione tried to think through the red haze. As calmly as she could, she said, "I'm not going to go on a tirade, ma'am. I just realized that no one knows I'm safe. I'm sure Harry and Ginny are worried, and Severus might be, too," she added as an afterthought. "I wouldn't want to keep them worrying for any longer than necessary."

"That's all well and good, but I can Floo the headmaster, and he'll let everyone know. In fact, I should do that right now if I want to catch him before dinner." She let go of Hermione and headed for her office.

"Stop!" Hermione called out, a plan forming. Madam Pomfrey did stop and turned to face Hermione. "If I promise not to overexert myself, may I go down to dinner? I want to surprise everyone. Please?"

Poppy looked at her shrewdly for a moment before sternly shaking her head. "You aren't going anywhere until you've rested. You are exhausted, dehydrated, and on the verge of a complete physical collapse. You aren't leaving this ward until you've had at least eight hours of sleep and several restorative potions, young lady!"

Hermione and Poppy stared at one another for a moment before Hermione capitulated. "All right. I just wanted them to know I was okay, and it's easier to allay people's worries if you're standing before them rather than hearing it second hand."

"It would not ease their worries to see you faint dead away, and that is what would happen right now." Poppy crossed her arms and glared at Hermione repressively, using a quick gesture with her chin toward Hermione's bed.

Sighing, Hermione turned to climb into her bed when her eyes came upon Dobby lying in a cot in the corner of the room. Concerned, she diverted her course, making her way over to his bed. She felt Poppy's presence at her shoulder.

"Is Dobby going to be okay?" she asked worriedly. He didn't look good. He laid there completely limp, like a large rag doll. He was paler than usual and his breathing... She'd never noticed his breathing patterns before, but the quick, shallow breaths he was taking now didn't bode well.

"I think so," Poppy answered softly, "but he used up a lot of his energy transporting you here. Hopefully all he needs is a lot of rest, but even elves have their limits."

Hermione nodded silently as guilt washed over her. She reluctantly turned when she felt Poppy's hand gently guiding her back to her bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her feet dangling an inch off the floor, willing herself not to cry.

It seemed that she had brought nothing but trouble to everyone around her. Ron had died on a mission to avenge her. Severus had risked his life to save her from Remus Friday night, and his pride when he married her. She wished she could say she was worth the risk, but at this point, what had she given him in return? Now Dobby. Dobby who was nothing if not faithful and cheerful, always willing and eager to help. He was lying on that bed unconscious because of her.

She was so wrapped up in her self-pity that she started slightly when the bed dipped beside her and an arm draped across her shoulders comfortingly.

"Now, now, dear, don't feel too bad. He'll probably be fine. And if he doesn't make it, he'll have died saving a witch's life. That is every house-elf's ideal demise. But I wholly believe he will make a full recovery, so don't fret." Hermione nodded without looking up.

"I suggest you change into these," Poppy continued, handing her a pair of flannel pajamas. "They should be more comfortable than what's falling off you."

Hermione chuckled halfheartedly and accepted the clothes. She looked up and smiled wanly when Poppy started drawing the curtains around her for privacy. "Thanks, Poppy."

"You're welcome, dear." Poppy replied softly looking at her a moment more, then smiled and closed the curtains completely.

Hermione changed languidly; she felt as if her body was made of lead. Climbing into bed with a little difficulty, she somehow managed to drag the incredibly heavy covers over herself and relaxed down into the soft pillow.

She closed her eyes with contentment, happy to be safe, sound, and out of pain. She felt herself drifting off, enjoying the slightly dizzy feeling as her consciousness handed the reins of control over to her subconscious.

Then she heard his voice.

"Madam Pomfrey, I was wondering if you've seen Hermione. She seems to have gone missing."

"Oh, Severus, I was just about to send a note your way. She's through that curtain over there."

Hermione heard footsteps coming closer. She opened her eyes and saw a shadow behind the curtain, a perfect silhouette of a man standing there. The curtain twitched, and she saw four graceful fingers curl around the edge. With slowness that bordered on painful, the curtain was drawn back to reveal a surly man dressed in black.

They looked at each other for a moment before he smirked wickedly and stepped inside the curtained area.

"My dear, dear Hermione. You've had me worried something dreadful. I've been looking for you all over the castle. I sent everybody looking everywhere for you, but there was no sign of you anywhere. It's been most disconcerting."

Hermione cringed at his simpering tone. She would have preferred him to yell, curse, or insult her outright rather than offer her such false comfort. She tried to sit up, but found she didn't have the energy to move the blankets.

He must have seen her struggling, for he came over to her bedside and stood over her ominously.

"Are you a bit weighed down at the moment? Here, let me relieve you of this burden." He lifted the blankets off, revealing her naked body. She tried to sit up again, but found herself unable to move at all.

Severus stood there, taking in her form with his cold gray eyes, and licked his lips suggestively. When his eyes had thoroughly devoured her form, he met her gaze. His smirk grew into a cold smile that sent shivers of fear down her spine.

"Now, where were we before you decided to run off?" he purred, reaching out to tweak her nipple. She tried to struggle against his touch, but she was utterly and completely helpless. She couldn't even blink.

His hand went from her breast and wandered down her torso. Soon he was touching her below her navel, and his fingers curled under her pubis. She tried to scream as he stroked her, but no sound came out. His other hand reached over and grabbed her shoulder, shaking her. She tried to struggle, but the hand on her shoulder was insistent, and the shaking was getting firmer.

"Hermione!" he said urgently, licking his lips once more. He smiled again, and his fangs were glistening in the candlelight.

Hermione shot up out of the bed, screaming and struggling, desperate to get away from the monster she'd married. She fought wildly: scratching at whatever she could get her nails on, kicking fiercely at everything, and continuing to scream.

It took a moment before she realized the voice calling her name was Poppy's, and there wasn't a man anywhere in sight. She stopped flailing immediately and turned to look at Poppy with huge, wet eyes.

Poppy was watching her carefully, concern oozing off her. When Hermione took a deep breath and relaxed, Poppy released a sigh of relief and offered Hermione a tender smile.

"You were having a nightmare, dear," Poppy offered soothingly, stroking Hermione's forehead in a calming motion. Lie back down and relax; there's a good girl."

Hermione complied, though she was still shaking and panting with fear, adrenaline racing through her system. Poppy continued to stroke her forehead and hair in a sedate rhythm, bringing her down from her terror slowly but effectively.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Poppy said after a little bit. "I should have realized you might need a potion for dreamless sleep. I'll go get it for you right now." Poppy made to leave, but Hermione grabbed onto her hand and clung to it desperately.

Knowing she was being unreasonable and that it was only a dream, Hermione still shook her head at Madam Pomfrey and pleaded for her to stay.

Poppy furrowed her brows, but soon smiled warmly, nodding. "Of course I won't leave you, dear." She pointed her wand at the closed curtain in the direction of her office. Soon a small bottle came zooming toward them, flying neatly into Poppy's outstretched hand.

Giving the bottle a cursory glance, Poppy offered it to Hermione. "Drink this, dear. You'll not have anymore nightmares tonight."

Hermione let the mediwitch tip the potion into her mouth and swallowed the purple concoction. Almost immediately her shaking stopped, and she relaxed into the bed again, relishing the warmth that was spreading throughout her body.

Smiling up at Pomfrey lazily, she said, "Thank you, Poppy. I feel better now." She closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle thrum her body was experiencing. She was surprised she didn't feel sleepy yet, but figured she was still too wound up from her dream.

She concentrated on regulating her breathing, letting her body relax into the bed. After a minute or so, she heard Madam Pomfrey get up and leave. For a brief moment she panicked, but then her sense kicked in, and she relaxed into her breathing techniques again.

It was only a dream, after all. And it wasn't even the real Severus she had dreamed of. Lucius had attacked her, and the dream was simply using that attack as a metaphor for her current situation. It wasn't Severus. Severus' eyes were dark. It wasn't Severus. Severus was not a vampire. It was not Severus! Her mind was simply replaying everything that had happened over the last forty hours or so. She felt powerless, and that's why she'd been unable to move.

Unable to lie still, she quietly got up and started pacing around the bed, hoping that the movement would shake her feeling of helplessness.

She started analyzing her dream, rationalizing that doing so would help calm her down, but instead, she found herself thinking about why she felt so powerless. It wasn't as if her choices had been taken from her. She had chosen to avoid the impending law. On Dumbledore's advice. True, she had chosen to take his advice, but he had presented it as her only option.

It was odd; in the past Dumbledore had always erred on the side of caution and trust. He usually believed in people too much and was too late giving advice that would save so much pain and trouble. He usually sat back and observed without getting involved. Why had he chosen this time, this law, to become proactive?

She was just glad Snape had risen to the occasion. She didn't know why she had been so reluctant to consider him over Remus. Looking at it logically, Severus was obviously the better choice. They might be antagonistic toward each other for the rest of their lives, but at least she wouldn't go crazy. Or at least she wasn't guaranteed to go crazy.

She just hoped, once again, that Severus hadn't done it out of an obligation. He had done so much for the Order. Everyone had risked a lot during the war, but his job had been so dangerous. If he had ever been discovered, he would have died a horrible death. It was not fair for him to be saddled with her after all he'd done.

Then a horrible thought came to mind. What if Dumbledore had taken advantage of Lucius' plotting and planned to "reward" Severus with a wife?

She paused in her pacing for a moment and then shook her head, dismissing the idea immediately. Dumbledore wasn't that callous. It was obvious to the entire world how much Snape detested her, and if he had wanted to reward Severus that way, she was sure he could have found a more suitable candidate for him.

But, then, why did Snape show up for that interview? He said he'd been there out of curiosity, but what if the headmaster had coerced him? What if Severus had married her not out of an obligation to Ron, but an obligation to the headmaster?

She shook her head again. Dumbledore would not do that. He wasn't one for rash actions. Except for marrying her and Snape off, along with Harry, Ginny, Draco and Pansy. That wasn't rash at all.

Hermione could feel her blood pressure rising as she thought more about it. Dumbledore had been foolish to think the population of the Wizarding world would accept such an unfair law, especially after dealing with the terror of Voldemort and the Death Eaters for so long. Surely Dumbledore didn't believe that the people would bow to the insanity so easily. After all, didn't he always believe the best of everyone?

It seemed almost too convenient. Dumbledore's lack of foresight and trust, combined with the happiness weddings supposedly entailed... It seemed as though Dumbledore was never finished plotting, playing with people's lives, and futures. It was possible he'd become callous through boredom.

Hermione started seething. She suddenly felt constrained by the curtained area and peeked out to find the ward empty. She resumed pacing back and forth, unconsciously doing laps of the room while she thought.

She could see it now. Dumbledore had looked upon all his helpers with a beneficent air thinking he knew better than they did for what they all needed. He'd wanted to reward them all for their hard work, so he decided to use Lucius' revenge for his own purposes and make sure his loyal and devoted helpers were conveniently ensconced in relationships, thus ensuring their happiness and bright future.

He played up the danger, knowing all the while that if the law did pass it would be met with outrage. He didn't deny that people would find it loathsome, but he downplayed the time it would take for a repeal. He made it seem as though there would be enough time for all of the people who were in the most danger to be propositioned, and thereby trapped.

She found herself at the infirmary door and, on an impulse, opened it and walked out. She needed more space. She wandered mindlessly and didn't realize where she was heading until the hum of students dining in the Great Hall met her ears. She frowned at the closed doors and came to a conclusion: Dumbledore had efficiently conned them all using the same techniques of manipulation he'd used on Harry and against Voldemort!

And on top of that, he'd had the temerity to twinkle merrily at her during her miserable wedding! The bastard!

Grinding her teeth, Hermione grabbed the door handles and pushed with all her might. The doors flew open and banged against the walls loudly, causing all noise and motion to pause as everybody looked her way.

She didn't care if everyone was staring. She didn't care what they thought of Hermione Granger coming into the Great Hall dressed in flannel pajamas. All she cared about was letting Dumbledore know exactly what she thought of him and his machinations.

She stormed up the main aisle of the hall and quickly found herself in front of the Staff Table. She didn't notice anyone besides Dumbledore, who was looking at her with unconcealed relief. She stood there glaring at him. Anger coursed through her, and she felt the power building around her. She was aware of her hair standing on end as the crackling energy spun about her, enveloping her in a shield of power.

And still she glared at Dumbledore. She noticed his relief was giving way to concern. She narrowed her eyes in concentration, trying to come up with the words to say everything she had wanted to shout at him, but nothing was forthcoming. She was so consumed by anger that all her words and even thoughts had abandoned her. All she could do was stare at him.

As her anger peaked, she felt a wind brewing around her, manipulating her hair into undulating strands that writhed and coiled about her like snakes on Medusa's head. She smiled grimly at the thought. As if in reaction to her smile, Dumbledore paled, and she could sense his alarm grow.

She decided that nothing needed to be said. She raised an eyebrow in a fair imitation of her husband's sarcastic expression and turned abruptly to leave the hall. The energy was still clinging to her as she moved toward the doors, and she could sense the students nearest her path edging as far away from her as they could.

She made it through the doors and willed them to shut behind her, smiling as a satisfying slam met her ears. She headed toward the staircase, her anger evaporating as she walked, but just as she reached the first stair, her head started spinning, and she noticed for the first time how shaky her legs were. She reached for the balustrade, but as her arm went out, everything else went black.

Avery's Notes: Unfortunately for you, Snape and Hermione, Spring has come, and with it a million different projects are begging for my time. Updates may be less frequent for a while. Sorry. I promise I will not abandon this fic. Honest! (Please don't hurt me.)

And huge thanks (with chocolate Easter bunnies on top) go to Southern for being a wonderful beta!

Southern's Notes: Well, that was a bit better for her, at least. The "dream" had me freaked out for a moment... until I realized what it was. I hope Snape is around in the next chapter! I want them to talk and see how he feels about all that's gone on! Take your time, dear! It's worth the wait.