The rest of the day was quiet. When the three boys went for their detentions Hermione stayed in the common room and chatted with Lavender and Ginny.

Harry got sent to the Hospital wing with Crabbe, both had to scrub bedpans by hand. Ron had to go to the trophy room with Filch and polish every cup, shield and trophy. Y/N was sent to the Dungeons where Severus was waiting with a smile.

"Pull out your copy of Advanced Potion Making, Y/N. For your detention this evening you will be brewing an Elixir to Induce Euphoria."

-~-

Y/N and Hermione were sat in the Great
Hall having breakfast. Y/N had had another intensive and gruelling workout and was currently refuelling his body as he scooped out large chunks of Avocado flesh. Hermione looked at the look on Y/N's face.

"You're not enjoying that are you?" she asked with a worried look.

"Not like this no 'Mione. It's got a very strong taste" Y/N chuckled.

Hermione grimaced as he took another bite:

"So why eat it then?"

Y/N chuckled.

"It's got a lot of nutrients and good fats. Bite, chew, swallow, repeat."

Hermione sighed and nodded as she went back to her oatmeal.

A couple of minutes later a magnificent red bird flew into the Great Hall and up to Y/N. He recognised the bird immediately and smiled, taking the letter from the bird's leg and thanking him. The Phoenix rose as Y/N heard:

I'll see you soon Y/N L/N

Y/N smiled before nodding at Lavender, Harry and Ron who had arrived and sat with the couple. He opened the note and spoke without expression in his voice or on his face:

"Well I won't be volunteering at the Reserve this year"

Y/N placed the note in his pouch as the others gasped in surprise.

"Why not?" Hermione asked shocked and saddened "You were so good there"

Y/N smiled as he looked into Hermione's eyes.

"I couldn't get permission for you to accompany me Hermione. Dumbledore thought it was too much of a risk in case we got separated in there. I can't risk leaving you so often, so I won't be volunteering."

Hermione was bewildered. Why was Y/N going to this extent? She would be fine to be watched by the others for a couple of hours.

"We can watch Hermione Y/N" Lavender said surprised, her thoughts obviously mirroring Hermione's.

"Yeah we're not useless" Ron snapped.

"Seriously? I'll be fine Y/N. You need to-"

Hermione was cut off as Y/N roared:

"NO!!!"

Everyone in the near vicinity jumped. Even Hermione jumped. Y/N looked at her horrified:

"'Mione I'm sorry I never meant to yell at you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry"

Hermione rushed Y/N with a hug, deeply concerned. He would never yell at her. The look on his face. The terror in his voice. She squeezed him tight, one hand round his back, the other on the back on his head, holding it tight as his face buried into her neck. The others watched, greatly concerned. Y/N seemed to be losing the plot.

"Hey it's ok, Y/N it ok. Shhh" Hermione whispered as she looked at Lavender from the hug, they both exchanged extremely worried glances.

Hermione felt Y/N's erratic breathing slow in the hug and when it seemed like he had calmed she released the hug and looked at Y/N, concern etched on her face as she took his larger hands in hers.

"We need to go to class, but can you please tell me what's going on?"

Y/N looked up into Hermione's eyes, tears threatening to break through his as he said:

"I will but I can't not... I can't"

Hermione nodded, pulling Y/N into a tight hug again. After a few minutes the five left for classes. As they walked she leant up and spoke gently into Y/N's ear:

"You still owe me that explanation Y/N"

Y/N nodded and said back:

"When we are alone"

Hermione smiled and squeezed Y/N's hand as they walked off together for the day's classes.

-~-

It was an uneventful day where Y/N struggled to focus in class, his nightly haunting images just circled in his brain, not to mention yelling at Hermione that morning. The guilt felt like a crushing weight. Following classes Lavender went to the library with the pair. The two girls both noticed the entire two hours before dinner Y/N had stared at the same page the whole time.

-~-

Following dinner Y/N escorted the two girls to the Common Room and then headed down to detention. Snape could tell something was wrong with him but Y/N didn't want to talk about it.

Severus was worried. He went into his library and pulled a book from his shelves, An Intersectional Examination of Alchemical Formulae, and took it to Y/N.

"For detention tonight I simply want you to read through this book Y/N."

"Thank you Sev" Y/N nodded. He offered his Potions Professor a smile. Severus saw straight through it as his concern for the boy increased.

The hour passed slowly, Severus marked papers and Y/N tried his hardest to focus on his reading. As the clock reached 7:30pm Severus looked up and smiled, saying:

"That is it for tonight Y/N. You may keep the book, I will purchase another."

Y/N looked up and smiled halfheartedly while nodding, placing the book in his pouch and saying:

"Thanks Sev."

"Y/N, have you thought anymore about what I told you yesterday, what I asked?"

Y/N could see the nervousness on the Potions Master's face. He smiled; this time it was a genuine smile; and answered:

"I did Sev, and I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

Joy crossed Severus Snape's face. More joy than he had felt in over a decade, ironically the last time he felt this happy was when Thomas had asked the same question Severus had asked Thomas's son the previous day.

-~-

Y/N ran up to the Gryffindor Common Room as quickly as possible. As happy as he was with his relationship with Severus, with Severus's revelation about he and Y/N, Y/N couldn't think about that right now. He had to get back to Hermione.

As outstanding as Y/N's cardiovascular conditioning was, it was still a long way up to the Gryffindor room. Y/N was out of breath by the time he got to the Fat Lady's portrait, his legs on fire from the build up of lactic acid.

He entered and looked around, panicking when he couldn't see Hermione.

"Nev! NEV!!!" Y/N shouted across the crowded Common Room.

The room suddenly went deathly silent as Neville looked at his panicked friend nervously:

"Y-Y-Yes Y/N?"

"Where's the girls?" Y/N asked aggressively. To the students in the Common Room Y/N looked terrifying. In reality he was the one who was terrified.

"L-L-Lav had a headache and went to b-bed" Neville stammered back. The rest of the students, even the NEWT students, were all looking down, too afraid to make eye contact with Y/N.

"And Hermione went with her?" Y/N snapped in confusion.

"N-n-no. S-s-she went to the Li-library"

"WHAT??? ALONE?" Y/N roared, his eyes darkening, two of the lamps that illuminated the Common Room exploding, sending glass everywhere.

Neville nodded before fainting, Y/N roaring "FUCK!!!" as he turned, his shoulder smashing into Cormac McLaggen and sending the third year flying backwards and over a couch.

Apologising was the last thing on Y/N's mind as he tore out the room again, ripping the Potrait door handle open with such tremendous force that it's top two hinges were ripped from the wall, sending the Fat Lady careening onto her side.

The majority of the Gryffindors who were in the Common Room were sat in shock at what had just happened. Percy Weasley though went running towards Professor McGonagall's office.

-~-

Y/N's legs were on fire. His lungs were on fire. Fear gripped him worse than anything he had experienced in his life. He'd lost track of how many students he had collided with. They hit the floor, he kept running. He had to find her. He had to. She had to be safe. Please God let her be safe.

This was his vision, playing out right now as Y/N ran desperately through the halls of Hogwarts to reach Hermione. He prayed to Merlin he wasn't too late.

-~-

Irma Pince enjoyed the first few weeks of term. There were very few students that would make use of the library in the early days of the school year. Those that did, like Hermione Granger, were the kind of students who respected the sanctity of a library and would work in silence. Her happiness was soon disturbed though in a most shocking way.

-~-

Y/N made it to the library. He hadn't come across Hermione, like in his dream.

Please be ok. Please be ok.

He hit the library doors at full speed, not braking or slowing to open them, instead passing through one shoulder first. He barely managed to keep on his feet as the door was torn from its hinges in an ungodly sounding bang and clatter that stood out even more when juxtaposed with the silence of the library only moments earlier.

He roared in panic. He felt a fear in his heart like none he had ever experienced before.

-~-

Hermione was looking through the stacks on offensive duelling spells. She was so excited that she would be spending every lesson of DADA alone with Y/N, that he would be training her himself, again, and that the Headmaster approved of it. She had finished her Charms assignment after Lavender went to bed and wanted to get ahead in her reading. She wanted to impress her Professor.

As she was looking through the aforementioned stacks she heard a clanging cacophonic bang that sounded like the library doors had just been blown off their hinges. She jumped a mile at the sudden noise before being shocked again as she heard a deep guttural roar that was calling out her name.

-~-

"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" Y/N roared, terrified. He just needed her to be ok. Madam Pince rushed at Y/N, yelling at him, asking what the hell he thought he was doing. She was completely ignored as he paced, yelling again:

"HERMIONE!!!"

There was genuine fear and panic in his voice.

Hermione appeared from the aisle she was in and called out:

"Y/N what's-"

Before she could even finish speaking Y/N had rushed her in epic relief, grabbing hold of her and squeezing tight. Hermione hugged Y/N back before moaning in slight discomfort:

"Y/N, Y/N you're hurting me."

She was instantly released by an apologetic mess of a boy and it took Hermione a few moments to process everything:

Y/N was in front of her, breathing erratically, tears streaming down his cheeks, apologising over and over again. It was the first time Hermione had ever seen Y/N openly cry.

Madam Pince was roaring about being banned for life but was ignored.

Professor McGonagall had come through the doorway that was missing a door with a look of disbelief on her face. She stormed up behind Y/N and began to yell:

"Mr L/N what do you think you are doing? You've destroyed two doors, upset the Fat Lady, I've had to send four students and a member of staff to the hospital wing, what do-"

Minerva cut off her rant when Y/N turned slowly to look at her. She was stunned.

Y/N L/N, the stoic and strong boy, the boy who faced off against the Dark Lord twice as a first year without a hint of fear or emotion, was stood in front of her looking completely broken. His eyes were puffy, he was breathing heavily and erratic, his pupils dilated widely.

In short he looked terrified as he tried to stammer:

"Herm... Herm... 'Mione... had to make sure"

He ceased his stammering as Hermione pulled Y/N into another hug, exchanging an extremely worried glance with her Head of House as she did. McGonagall turned to the irate Librarian:

"I will be back to see you and sort the damage in a moment. Perhaps Ms Granger, Mr L/N, we can go to a more private area to discuss this matter?"

Hermione nodded and released the hug with Y/N, the two walking out of the library hand in hand, right behind their head of house.

-~-

McGonagall walked into an empty classroom and ushered the two second years in, closing the door behind them.

"I don't have to say how out of character this incident is Y/N. I think both Ms Granger and I are surprised at your... outburst, for lack of a better word. Can you please tell us what's going on?"

Y/N had sat at a desk, leaning on his elbow as he rubbed his eyes and nodded while squeezing the bridge of his nose. Hermione had sat next to Y/N, rubbing on his back as she spoke quickly:

"I'm sorry Y/N, I was just excited for you to teach me Defence Against the Dark Arts and I wanted to get ahead in my reading. I didn't even think. I am so sorry."

Y/N nodded as McGonagall looked at the pair confused:

"Y/N is teaching you Defence Against the Dark Arts? And you didn't think about what Ms Granger?"

"Did Dumbledore tell you any of what the Centaurs said last year, Professor?" Y/N asked.

"No, no he didn't" she answered.

"Open your mind Professor" Y/N said without looking up. Minerva nodded and gasped as her mind was flooded with images.

She saw the warning from Bane. She saw Y/N's training. She saw him being struck by spells. She saw him hurting, bleeding, falling. She saw each time he would get up and say "again!" Every single time he pushed himself to his feet.

She felt his fear, his panic in the common room. His desperation and terror that Hermione was in danger. That in his panic he didn't realise he had ripped the portrait door off, barrelled into people, broken a solid oak library door. His only focus was on finding her.

Minerva wiped a tear from her eye discreetly as Hermione spoke:

"I know there is something you're not telling me Y/N"

Hermione spoke gently as she rubbed on Y/N's arm lovingly.

Y/N sighed and nodded his head.

"I told you Jacob and Dumbledore think I'm a Seer."

"And you've had the same nightmare or vision, or whatever every night."

Y/N nodded, hesitating. Hermione didn't know what she was asking.

"It's... it's..."

Y/N struggled before he could finally say it:

"It's the same thing. Every single night. I see the same thing every night.... every night. I...."

Y/N's voice broke as he trembled before finally admitting: "I... I... watch you die Hermione."

McGonagall covered her mouth. Hermione was speechless.

"I've watched you die over and over and I'm running towards it but I can't stop it and I...I..."

Y/N broke. He had been holding everything back for three months. All the fear. All the pressure. He was at bursting point and admitting what he had seen each night out loud for the first time was the small crack needed to burst open his dam walls. Hermione was on him in a moment, her arms around him tightly, as she repeated to him over and over:

"I'm sorry Y/N. I'm sorry. I'm sorry"

It instantly struck Hermione just how much Y/N cared for her. How much he loved her. She had seen him in the worst pain, describing the most horrific traumatic tortures imaginable, and this was what broke him. Fear for her safety.

She realised at that moment exactly by God and Merlin just how much she loved this boy.

Minerva was a proud and stoic woman. A hard woman in many ways. This was too much for her. Tears ran down her cheeks as she rubbed both Y/N and Hermione on the back.

Y/N composed himself eventually. McGonagall asked:

"I've been told you won't be in the Reserve this year L/N".

Y/N shook his head as the Professor smiled sadly:

"I think that may be for the best. I'll talk to your teachers and make sure you only do the perscribed work in classes. I think you have enough pressure on your shoulders without adding more. Are you going to be ok for Quidditch?"

Y/N looked up and was about to step down from the team:

"Actually I think-"

But he was quickly cut off by Hermione:

"He will be fine!"

Y/N turned his head towards her shocked:

"But 'Mione I-"

"No! Y/N you can't give up your whole life for me. You've already given up the Reserve and we know how much that means to you. I love that you are so worried about me and I love that you want to protect me. I truly do. But you can't just become my bodyguard. You have to keep living as well!"

Hermione spoke sternly, but sweetly at the same time. She lifted her hand to lovingly stroke Y/N's face as she spoke. Minerva thought her heart would explode from the purity and sweetness of the pair. She spoke with a large smile:

"Ms. Granger is right, Y/N. We will take all the necessary precautions to make sure Ms. Granger is safe. But you have to keep on living. Wood already spoke to me about your arrangement and we will make sure Hermione is not alone while you are at Quidditch, ok?"

Y/N nodded. He was calming. His heart was steadying. His hands though were still trembling.

"I will wish the pair of you good night. I will go speak to Madam Pince and fix the damage you did. You may want to think about a heartfelt apology to the Fat Lady as well. Good night"

The pair wished Professor McGonagall good night and she chuckled and shook her head as the pair left hand in hand.

As the pair of students headed up towards their Common Room, Hermione noticed Y/N glancing around constantly, still on mega high alert. She had an idea.

Instead of turning right at the third floor class halls, Hermione turned left.

"I've got another idea" she whispered to Y/N, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek as she pulled him forward by the hand.

-~-

The pair arrived at their special place, Hermione smiling as she looked Y/N in the eyes:

"We need to stay together tonight Y/N. I really don't want to leave you alone right now."

Y/N smiled for the first time in hours as he nodded and answered:

"I don't want to be away from you either 'Mione."

The pair entered to find just a large four poster double bed, a fire place and an en-suite. As the door closed behind them they heard click after click and turned to see dead bolt after dead bolt locking, a large 2x4 barricading the entrance.

"I think what you need most of all is to know I'm safe" Hermione said with a smile as she pulled Y/N down and kissed him on the forehead. She smiled, adding:

"Let's get into bed"

Y/N nodded, transfiguring her clothes into a nighty and his trousers into shorts. The pair climbed into bed, Y/N holding Hermione tightly from behind as she cuddled into him, hugging onto his large arm.

"Just so you know Y/N, this is heaven to me right now. This is safe"

Hermione spoke with a large smile on her face As she leant back, gave Y/N a kiss on the cheek, and the two fell asleep quickly.