Hermione sat in the library at 12 Grimualad place, staring at the still sizzling brand on her inner left arm. She could still feel the skin burning and it was beginning to itch and even bleed some, but she made no move to alleviate the pain. This was her doing, her choice, no one had swayed her decision, at least not consciously and the pain served as a reminder of this. To say that she had been shocked when she was welcomed with almost open arms into the Death Eaters would be a vast understatement, but she suspected that her she was welcomed so graciously only because she not only had an encyclopedia inside of her brain, but she was best friends with the Boy-Who-Just-Refused-To-Die.
Smiling, she recalled a few choice moments of the night. The reactions of the other Death Eaters for instance. Lucius and Bellatrix had been furious as did another Death Eater that Hermione couldn't seem to name. Not that she would need to anymore, he put a voice to his outrage and defied the will of the Dark Lord in front of the Dark Lord and he had paid the price. A green flash of light had ended his rant and silenced all of the others that would have commented. But no one's reaction satisfied her quite as much as that of her old Potions Professor. The look of shock and pure disbelief that his eyes had shown
She heard the door slam open behind her, and smirked as she heard a few books fall from their places. She didn't need to look to figure out who it was, the entrance, the presence that exuded from his body, were dead giveaways. They were also what drew her to him.
He was angry; she could feel it, though she suspected he had good reason. After all, he had been there when she took the mark. She felt his presence behind her chair and she closed her eyes and smiled. She took in his sent, a blend of spices and his own personal musk, and allowed it to fill her up. She felt a shiver go down her spine as he grabbed her arm that held the mark. The contact of his hand on her bare flesh was intoxicating, how ever impersonal it may be. She felt him yank her out of the seat and turn her so that she was facing him.
She looked at him, taking in his features. The normal scowl was plastered on his face, a few stray locks of hair rested near the corner of his lips and she longed to tuck it behind his ear. His brow was creased in anger and frustration, and she blessed the wrinkles it created. His hair was slightly greasy from standing over a cauldron most of the day, barley touching his shoulders. His eyes were blazing black fire and she shivered from the intensity in his gaze. This was the man she had come to love; this was the reason for the mark on her arm.
She felt his grip tighten as his eyes bored into hers. She felt the tension between the two; the room was thick with it, almost suffocating her.
"Why?"
She never knew how powerful one word could be. How much raw emotion could be expressed in three letters? Her lips began to curve into a smile as she diverted her eyes, no longer able to hold her own against the penetrating orbs, "You."
Her smile grew as she watched the shock play across his features, immensely amused that she was able to shock Severus Snape, current Death Eater, and traitor to the Light, with one word. At his raised eyebrow, Hermione took her cue to elaborate, "I know where you're true loyalties lie, and I decided a long time ago that it didn't matter what side I fought for, as long as I was on yours. You have been my one desire since first year, you were the reason I joined the Order, you were the reason I fought so hard, and you are the reason I sought out Lucius Malfoy so that I could become a Death Eater."
She felt his gaze once again on her arm. "I am not a good man Miss Granger. I will never love you, I will never be faithful, and I will never be kind or gentle."
Hermione smiled as she met his gaze, and she placed her free hand on his chest. "I know all of that Severus." Her hand began to travel farther down his chest until she heard a barley audible gasp, and a wicked smile crossed her face, "That is why I love you."
She saw a wicked smirk cross his face as he roughly grabbed both her wrists and pinned them behind her back, causing pain to shoot through her body as he twisted her arms in ways they were not meant to twist. He smirked as she cried out and moved his face next to hers, whispering in her ear, "Well then, let the fun begin."