"If I see any sign that you tried to harm yourself, you're going to have me to answer to."

Tom's tone was a warning all in its own. Disobey me and you'll be sorry. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." I said quietly. "I understand."

"Good." Tom's voice was low. "You have 15 mins. If you're not out before then I'll come in and get you. And trust me," He smirked, "you won't like that at all."

"Ok." I walked to his door, my face burning from embarrassment. Out of all the things I wanted right now having Tom walk on me when I was having a shower wasn't one of them.

I grabbed a hold of the door and twisted it, conscious that if I opened the door too fast Tom would get suspicious that I wanted to get away from him. Of course, I would have liked nothing better to just bolt out the door and kept running but I had to be careful now that Tom was keeping a closer eye on me. With my back to him I left, walking up the hall to the door furthest from me.

As soon as I was in the bathroom I locked the door, trying to steady my breathing. If Tom was going to barge in I would at least hear him unlocking the door.

I looked around. There wasn't a shower, instead a giant bath was set into the tiled ground. Large, and ornately decorated it dominated the room, catching the coloured light coming from the stained glass windows artfully. I walked over, turned the taps on and hurriedly peeled my clothes off. I didn't have any idea of the time but I could feel the minutes slipping by.

It took about 10 minutes alone waiting for the bath. There wasn't any shampoo or conditioner for my unruly curls, instead a single block of soap and a razor was placed almost with surgical precision over by the tap.

Ignoring it, I got to work scrubbing my hair with the bar of scentless soap and after I washed it out I took hold of the razor blade. So this was what Tom was thinking I would use to hurt myself?

I took the single blade carefully into the palm of my hand, it glinted as it caught the light dancing off the water. I could use this to end my life right now. If I really wanted to. Did I want to take my life? I couldn't see the point in existing beneath oppression of this magnitude. My life had become a constant fear that troubled me day and night, I couldn't exactly escape from my own mind.

Hermione. Don't do it.

The voice was so clear that I jumped, slicing my hand on the jagged razor. I was too shocked to be aware of the blood blossoming in the water. I had heard my mother's voice.

"Mum?" My voice broke. "Where are you?"

"You won't be able to see me." My mother's voice replied, echoing in the bathroom. "I am in your mind and soul. Nothing more nothing less."

"What do you mean?"

My head started to pound. Blood stained the water around me. I had cut myself again in shock. I swam over to the side of the bath where I felt the voice had come, shakily dropping the bloody razor on the tiles.

"What do you mean?" I repeated, leaning over the side, desperate to hear more of my mother's voice. Blood was dripping down my hands, I made no attempt to stop it.

"Look up."

Floating above me was the transparent form of my mother, smiling down at me.

"Mum." I cleared my throat, hardly daring to blink. She was here with me. Somehow.

My head started to pound more intensely. The bath was almost crimson, I didn't know what part of my body I had cut. I raised my arm and saw a deep wound in my wrist. I didn't remember doing that....

I hauled myself up the side of the bath, blood pooling on the tiles beside me. Somehow I managed to semi dry myself and throw fresh clothes on from my beaded bag. I didn't have strength for anything else. Beneath the apparition of my mother I lay down on the cool ground and drifted.

——————————————————-

I didn't hear Tom come in, I didn't even hear his footsteps approach me.

"What the fuck did you do to yourself?" He was extremely angry.

I opened my mouth to reply but only weird rasping noises came out.

"Your wrists." I could feel cold pressure where the wounds were, could feel Tom's arms underneath me lifting me off the ground. "Hermione. Can you hear me?"

"Don't.... touch me." It felt like an eternity before the words came out. I wanted to stay where I could see my mother. If he moved me I had no idea if she would come back.

"If you really wanted to kill yourself at least get an artery..." Tom's tone was merciless. "You failed. I'm not letting you die. You're mine, remember?" He had me leaning against him while he was chanting some kind of incantation.

I could hear his words but my eyes were focused on my mother's shining form above me. How come I could see her? Was she dead? Was I dead?

Without a word she was still shining above me like a Patronus.

"You're going to pay for this." Tom told me.

I felt myself floating. And then I didn't feel anything at all.

——————————————

I woke up binded. My wrists were bandaged and secured to my sides by what looked like straps. I tried to move my feet but they were binded too. I was wearing something different too, a simple white gown. The same one that I had worn on the disastrous date with Tom.

Tom...

I blinked, coming to my senses. I was in that horrible room of Tom's the little prison behind the bookcase.

"Why did you want to kill yourself?" Tom's cold voice disrupted my thoughts. I looked over to the side of the room to see him staring at me from a single solitary chair in the corner that I swear wasn't there before.

"I didn't." I said honestly. "I saw..."

"You saw what."

The edge in Tom's voice was unforgiving. "This isn't the first time you've been having visions. What did you see?"

"Nothing." I stammered. "W-why did you bind me?"

Tom stood, approaching me without showing any sort of emotion at all.

"You tried to kill yourself. Did you think I was just going to let you roam free after you lied to me again?"

I tried to move my feet again. I tried to move my arms, sparking a burst of blinding pain.

Tom placed a cold hand against my forehead.

"Stop struggling."

I had no choice but to just lie there hopelessly. My head was still pounding, faint traces of light flickering every time I closed my eyes.

"You've got a temperature. I'm going to go and get medicine for you from the Hospital Wing. If you try anything I will know."

He walked up the stairs, not even bothering to close the portal behind him. That's how much confidence he had in the straps binding me to the bed.

As soon as he left I set to work, trying to pull myself free. The straps around my wrist were a hell of a lot looser than the ones around my ankles and as I squirmed beneath them I managed to finally extricate my left hand. Immediately I set to work on my right. My head was pounding, like the pain of a migraine crossed with an injury from a rogue bludger. It burnt my eyes to even blink. But I had to get out of this place. I didn't think of anything except my mother, and before I knew it I had freed both hands and both my feet.

Using my elbows I leant on the bed and slid off. I had no idea when Tom was coming back. He could be back any second.

I made my way up the narrow staircase. My head felt like it was fit to explode, but I managed to keep going. I got to the last step and saw someone in Tom's room.

"Shalini?" I blinked.