The Power of Pain

Chapter 32

Severus took his time washing his hands the tips tingled most uncomfortably with the memory of skin. He scrubbed a bit harder than necessary before pulling back nearly scolding himself. He hissed from the water and shut off the tap. He sneered at the reflection of his face in the window. His fist curled as he threatened to break it.

He was hardly a teenager anymore. There was no reason for his reaction. He knew it had to have been her. He'd opened the connection to assure himself that he wasn't causing harm. He hadn't been prepared for her reaction to him in the slightest.

He rolled his shoulders to release the tension building towards a migraine. He wiped his partially scolded hands on a nearby towel before picking up the book he'd set aside. With a look at the hard kitchen chairs with a look of discontent, he growled to himself. He wasn't going to allow himself to be cowed by a wisp of a woman. He straightened himself returning to the sitting room.

A soft rumble betrayed her state. Hermione had shifted one arm up under her head nuzzling her face into the crook while her other arm pressed closer to her side under her shirt. She'd taken hold of the parted fabric holding it loosely in her fingers. He couldn't help the smirk at her soft snore. Her lips were slightly parted releasing the noise. He wondered if the Gryffindor princess knew she snored? He filed it away for later coming around to sit in his chair. He paused for a moment setting his book aside.

The sun grazed over all the dips and curves of her back, casting light shadows. The room wasn't cold but he knew once the salve wore off she would be. Snape huffed softly and stood at her side.

His chest was thumping loudly again but he silently cursed it quiet.  Leaning down, he gently pulled the fabric she had seized dropping it back over her. She made a soft noise nuzzling her arm, her fingers closing briefly before going lax again. He stalled allowing her to settle before pulling up the other half. He ran the tip of his wand down both halves, knitting them back together.

His chest relaxed once the task was completed and grabbed a throw from the rack by the fire place. His leg brushed her dangling foot causing her to grunt and pull it up onto the lounge. She turned her head switching her upper body to curl into the arm hiding her face in the crevice.

Once more he waited for her to settle before pulling the throw over her resting form. It wasn't large enough to cover her completely he decided her socked feet would be fine uncovered and pulled it over her shoulders. The tip of the blanket fell onto her face and she scrunched her nose shifting her chin before tucking it into her fingers with a soft sighing smile. Severus moved back towards his chair his valiant task completed. He settled back relaxing as her soft cat like purr filled the room once more.

oOo

Hermione was floating blissfully in her dream-space. A warm sun shone overhead and she smiled into it. She found herself on a lake floating peacefully on her back in the cool waters. She felt so happy, not a care in the world as she pulled herself along. Her stroke lethargic as she watched the clouds above her shift in and out with senseless shapes.

She closed her eyes for only a moment when everything took a sharp turn. The water that held her turned warm and thick and she snapped her eyes open. Gone were the crystal blues of an unidentifiable lake.

Screams and explosions rattled her ears as she struggled to push herself up. The liquid below her caused her to slip and she brought her arm up. Her eyes widened when she saw the dark red roll down her arm. Her breath came out in haggard puffs as she spun on her hip. Her back was cold and hot at the same time as she looked down into the unseeing eyes of her own face. She screamed and reared back onto her knees trying to wipe off the blood on her jeans.