Redemption II

Chapter 80

Hermione could feel herself coming back into reality incredibly slowly. Her head pulsed and stomach growled for sustenance. What was more distracting from all of that was the low murmur of voices that felt as though they were floating all around her.

Her mind started turning a bit more when she finally gained feeling in her fingers. She gave them a small experimental wiggle before letting out a low hiss from the pain in her right arm. She was able to register that she was laying flat on her back and that her body felt extremely cold beneath. The voices seemed to float away by the time she managed to open her eyes. She had hoped for the briefest of moments that Galia had sent someone in to rescue them but that hope was quickly dashed when a low blue light gradually came into focus. Her breathing hitched just a little when the same ape-like creature slowly leaned over her.

Exaudi me tu scilicet?

Hermione jolted slightly when and odd whispy sounding voice rattled inside her skull. It took her brain a few seconds to translate what had been said as she'd never actually heard anyone speaking full sentences of Latin before.

Yes?

Ah, so you speak English.

How...how are you-what are you?

I am a what your people call a demiguise, though my master has given me the name Parvapro and I'm speaking through this. The creature lightly tapped the band that was sitting around her head. The same one she'd taken from the Oracle's room.

Hermione was about to ask where Severus was when the sharp sound of glass vials knocking into the other jolted her focus. With all the strength she had left inside her, she pushed herself up with her good arm. Her eyes went wide when she saw a house elf, in a toga no less, rifling through Severus' potion bag. Many things laid around its feet, her own bag seemingly having been rifled through as well before her eyes landed on the man laying just a few steps in front of the creature.

"Severus!" Hermione winced at the sound of her own voice echoing off of the dark walls around her. Her remark turned the elf and he gave her a most disapproving look. The demiguise moved out of her way as she half crawled her way over.

"What are you doing? Oh, Severus..." She kept her bad arm cradled around her waist and gently laid her good hand on his chest. He was breathing, that was a good sign. The cut that knocked him unconscious had been healed but a dark purple bruise still covered his forehead. Hermione let out a small noise of distress unsure of what the best course would be.

Librous is looking for a potion to help him.

Hermione had knocked a few vials on her way to Severus' side, her chest was still heaving from the effort growing tighter and tighter with each breath. She let out a low whine and wrapped her injured arm around her rib trying to take in air that just wouldn't come.

What is wrong Lionhart?

The demiguise moved closer but didn't dare to touch her, it let out a low chittering noise of concern before turning its eyes to the elf. Librous stopped his digging to give the Hermione its own piercing look.

"I can't...breathe..." Hermione had no choice but to put her weight forward onto Severus' chest to try and stretch out her side. She could only hear the rattling in her chest and feel the weight that was placed there by her past injury. She felt like she was drowning on dry land. Her heart beat furiously but didn't have enough oxygen going into its blood to make it any use. Hermione could feel the world growing dark again but she struggled to keep her eyes open and focused.