Darkness Within

Severus watched Hermione with feeling as she stared into space, trembling all over.



‘Are you cold?’ he asked her.



She didn’t look at him but nodded a little.



‘Let’s get back. I can set the fire, make some hot chocolate,’ he murmured, rising to his feet.



Hermione looked up at him with dead eyes, not focussing on his face but at a point over his shoulder a little.



‘Can we go by my flat? I need to collect my wand and a few books,’ she stated.



Severus looked at her closely. He wasn’t stupid and he knew that at some point, if she felt the need greatly, she would try and escape his care. He would have to keep a careful eye on her.



‘Very well, but I should warn you, Hermione. I will hex you if I feel it necessary,’ he muttered.



‘What do you think I’m going to do? Stupefy you when your back is turned? Don’t you trust me, Severus?’ she snapped at him.



Severus raised his eyes and thought that was exactly what she had planned to do, but said nothing. He motioned her onwards and as they walked the few streets to her flat, Severus went over their conversation in his head. He had told her what he had seen the night he rescued her, and that he had been following her. Initially she had asked questions, but had gone silent as he recounted the many nights he had seen her with different men and her behaviour on those occasions. Her face had flushed red, and then paled as the reality and the shame washed over her.



They arrived at her flat and Severus followed Hermione closely down the steps. She turned to him and smirked slightly.



‘Constant vigilance,’ she whispered conspiratorially as she opened the door, and Severus laughed.



‘Indeed,’ he murmured and grinned at her, relaxing slightly. She wouldn’t try anything. Not this time.



He followed as she entered the flat and he scanned the room. It was untidy and there was a sour tang of stale alcohol in the air, like a pub the morning after the night before. The cushions of her sofa were half off the base, and as his eyes fell on them, a vivid image of her straddling some unknown male washed over him. Hermione followed his gaze and blushed to the roots of her hair. She lifted her wand and pointed it around the room, tidying the space and freshening it quickly.



‘Severus, would you open the window while I gather the books I want?’ she asked him quietly.



‘Of course,’ he said and turned to the small bay, unfastening the catch and pushing it open a little. He closed his eyes as he caught sight of her reflection in glass.



‘Fuck it,’ he cursed.



‘Stupefy,’ she murmured softly, tears in her eyes as he fell to the floor in a heap.





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Hermione walked over to where Severus lay and pointed her wand at him again, levitating him onto the couch slowly and carefully, tears rolling down her face. He looked as if he was asleep, so peaceful. He had been kind to her and she hated herself.



‘I’m sorry, Severus,’ she mumbled and brushed the tears away from her face. She looked around the room a little then walked towards her bedroom, pausing before opening the door and glancing back at the prone body briefly. She pointed her wand at him as she pushed the door open.



‘Enervate,’ she murmured, and then walked quickly into her room, closing the door and adding as many wards as she could before walking over to her bedside locker. She lay down her wand and lifted the half bottle of whisky, unscrewing the lid reverently before upending the bottle to her mouth. She drank quickly and shuddered as the liquid burned her throat. In a matter of moments, she had finished it and she walked over to a cardboard box in the corner of the room, grabbed another bottle and opened it quickly. She sat on the bed and started to sup, closing her eyes as the alcohol began to course through her veins and cloud her vision.



Hermione smiled softly to herself and didn’t respond when Severus started to hammer on the bedroom door. Through the growing haze she could hear him shouting at her to open up and let him in. She thought she heard him tell her there was a better way. Was there? She hadn’t found one yet. She liked this way. She liked the way drinking made the time go faster, the way it filled her head so she didn’t have to think any more. She liked feeling numb. Severus was still mumbling. What was he saying? She couldn’t tell. He was further away now. Hermione closed her eyes and lay down on her bed, her stomach warm and full, and her limbs heavy. It was sleep or unconsciousness. Either way, it worked for her.



The bottle was empty before it fell from her hand with a clunk.





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A short chapter...please r and r - thanks!