The Power of Pain

Chapter 28

Hermione's finger lingered over the page unable to speak the creatures name. She hissed sharply and rubbed at her eyes. The sharp burning sensation tingled across them even stronger now. Was it the magic the creature used to keep its identity a secret? Hermione suspected as much as she turned away from the text unable to even face it.

"Hermione?"

"Miss Granger?"

Snape and Harry spoke simultaneously both briefly glancing toward the other. Severus' voice was very soft sounding keeping his usual edge from having its effect.

Hermione shook her head to both of them palming her eyes more furiously. "I'm fine " She urged forcing her hands away.

She blinked a few times trying to clear the fog in her vision. Everything was getting darker and her throat felt even tighter. She could feel the creature inside, weakened-but still there, pushing against her mind, trying to draw her back inside. She felt someone take her wrists when she raised them back to her eyes but she resisted with a sharp hiss. It felt like glass was scratching her eyes, but she found she couldn't stop herself from pressing on them.

"Stop." Severus' command was like footsteps on a gravel road and he gritted his teeth noticing the girl was threatening to physically blind herself if she didn't stop. He pulled even more, his strength vastly over hers. After he managed to pull her wrists back, he took them in one hand the other going to her face to inspect for damage.

She tried to turn her head from his hand but found her neck extremely stiff with the pressure that threatened her breath. She let out a soft strangled noise as he forced open one of her eyes. She watched his face fade away back under the heavy cloud and couldn't help the soft desperate noise that passed her lips when he disappeared from her again. She pulled against the hand that held her wrists, her face tight with fear.

Severus held fast as he watched her eye cloud back over, a pain shooting into his chest at the noise of desperation she released. He was about to release her eyelid when he saw it; just there, in the center of her eye, the creature's deformed face smiling at him. It was there for only an instant taunting him before her body abruptly went slack in his hold. Her face instantly relaxing, her head falling backward out of his grip. The arms he held grew taunt as they bared her collapsed weight. He went still, his brain playing catch up on what he'd just witnessed.

"Hermione?" Harry's voice was a soft whine filled with worry and he leaned forward in his chair but was only able to see that her head had fallen back.

Severus lowered his eyes, his internal thoughts going into over drive, he gingerly lifted her head in his hand. His palm resting against her pulse point and he took notice that it had become almost life threateningly slow. He swallowed thickly laying her with care against the backrest of the lounge placing her arms into her lap before pulling away. He paused for a moment before addressing the other two in the room.

"She's gone." He turned his head sharply away from her, a deep anger pushing him to his feet. His thoughts led him so many places at once, though his emotions clouded his logical thinking. He felt peeved that the monster inside of her had taken control again. He wondered just how much control the creature truly possessed.

She had spent considerable amounts of time seemingly unheeded by its presence but now, now it seemed like everything was kicking into overdrive. His eyes flicked with his hypotheses trying to recall everything relevant to the forefront of his mind.