Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.
A/N: This just popped into my head one night. Special thanks to Basil Leaves for giving me such awesome advice. This ff suggests really mild violence and I've never really written anything like this before so... I do apologize in advance if it's not really up to my usual standard. Anyways, enjoy!
It's cold down here.
Wherever this 'here' is, it's a damned place.
Drip.
Drop.
Hermione Granger groaned with frustration and tried to brush away the water that's been constantly falling onto her head.
They're unmovable.
The squeaky sound of rusted chain echoed through the room.
She blinked for a few time, trying to clear away that sleepiness and squinted her eyes to adjust to the light.
The only source illuminating the room was that tiny torch of fire by the wall right opposite her.
Or should she say…this cell?
And when she heard the rustling of those hurried footsteps and saw the shadow of a figure turning at the corner, everything from that night rushed back.
Her eyes widened slightly as she came to realization.
No, it couldn't be.
That couldn't be true.
Get a grip, Hermione. Have some faith in yourself… have some faith in him. He didn't plan this. You know he didn't.
Whoever that was, he's getting closer now.
But can you? Other than him, who would put you in this situation?
Stop it. Stop it!
The hooded figure opened the lock and soundlessly slipped in.
He stood in front of her in close proximity in silence, as if to study her.
Seeing that he was slowly reaching out to touch her face, Hermione desperately tried to avoid his touch by twisting her head as far back as possible.
But he was stronger, and she knew there was no way she could escape.
He held her face in place, forcing her to look straight at him.
His other hand slowly removed the hood.
Oh Merlin, it's him.
It's really him.
It's Severus Snape.
0 0 0
He saw her being chained to the wall and couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
She was so young, so fragile.
No.
She deserved it.
She had it coming.
Lily Evans broke his heart twenty years ago.
She was a mudblood.
So was this dirty chit.
A mudblood.
They had it coming, she had it coming.
Severus Snape wished he could convince himself with that.
He wished he could just forget about her - them - and move on with his life.
But you couldn't, could you?
No, he couldn't.
0 0 0
She wanted to yell at him.
She wanted to claw at his face.
As if he could hear her thoughts, he pointed his wand straight to her heart. His other hand that was previously placed on her chin slowly moved down to her throat and gave it a strong grip.
She could feel the pressure on her pipes. It was getting harder and harder to breath.
As she glared at him with all her might, she heard him whispered, "I would not allow you to scream at me. We would have a very civil conversation or I would only be forced to put a Silencing Charm on you, do you understand me?"
She gave him a stiff nod.
Hermione gasped and coughed as he lifted his hand from her throat.
He must have left a bruise there.
It hurt like hell.
She was in hell.
0 0 0
It all started out as merely a mission.
He was to -as the Dark Lord would like to put it- to 'lure that mudblood whore under his lair and devour her'.
Gaining her trust wasn't much of a problem. He knew she, despite how horrible he had been treating the Gryffindors, had always defended him and held some respect for him because of his superior knowledge in the academia and his supposedly double agent mission.
When he offered her an apprenticeship, he knew she wouldn't be able to turn down this offer. With her thirst for knowledge, he knew she wouldn't think twice before accepting it.
He knew it.
And he took full advantage of it.
Something unexpected happened though.
This partnership had grown into something more. He enjoyed her companion and their shared passion for Potions. He's glad to have a friend.
Perhaps if he sought a little bit deeper – he would know she meant more to him than that.
But he was too proud.
Too proud to admit that he had yet again fall for someone who's inferior to him.
Damn those mudbloods.
Damn him for having a soft spot for them.
0 0 0
He was still watching her, looking rather amused.
How could she be so stupid? Falling for a guy like Snape?
Drip.
She could even smell the mold, the decay in this room.
Drop.
Just like her life, slowly rotting away.
Of course it was a trap.
But when he was having a fierce discussion with her about a certain potion, or when he was laughing at her joke…he sounded genuine.
He was a spy, for Merlin's sake.
Look at where you've ended up in.
A cell.
Chained up.
Only she would be stupid enough to believe him.
And she was the 'know it all'. The brightest, the most talented and promising witch of her year.
How ironic.
She wanted to laugh, laugh at her idiocy, at this crazy situation that she had put herself into.
She wanted to cry, cry at the love that she thought would be righteously requited, at the future with Snape that she had imprudently fantasized.
But she had never once made a noise, never once shed a tear.
She just remained silent, biting into her lips.
She could taste blood.
0 0 0
For a while back there, Snape's loyalty to the Dark Lord had swayed.
This girl had grown on him somehow.
He had started to care for her, he had started to get…rather attached to her.
He wouldn't want her to get hurt in anyway.
But there's nothing he could do.
He was just having a night out with Hermione in the Three Broomsticks, trying to convince her that Fire Whiskey was a far better drink than Butter Beer.
He knew she had fun – and to hell with it, he had fun.
As they walked out of the bar hand in hand, he could sense something was wrong.
His fellow 'friends' greeted him with hollow laughter as they popped out of thin air and advanced on him and Hermione.
"Why, Severus, fancy seeing you and your little pet here. Thanks for doing half the job for us, the Dark Lord will be pleased." As Lucius Malfoy waved off the other Death Eaters to do some collateral damage to the village, Snape turned to Hermione.
He had never seen such a contorted face.
It was a mixture of fear, betrayal, malice, desperation and…love.
Had he known that the Death Eaters would raid Hogsmeade that night, he wouldn't have brought her out.
But there's nothing he could do.
He saw her stumbled to the ground after getting hit by a Stunning Charm.
He was still holding her hand.
0 0 0
Everything seemed so perfect back then.
I really thought I was in love, for once.
"I can't say I'm sorry, Hermione. I really can't. Either you die, or we'll both die. I love myself too much to have that happen to me." He said when he started walking back and forth, with his eyes never leaving her face.
Brewing potions was just a cover up job. Men like Snape were meant to do bigger things.
Of course he wasn't able to resist.
He had never meant to resist.
Everyone said he's not to be trusted.
She thought they were bias.
She could only do so much in this war. Couldn't she, for once, find something more worthy for her to fight for?
When she went out with him that night to Three Broomsticks, when they were trying to get each other drunk, she thought she could really love this man.
This man that's been lying to her all along.
This man that's now holding her hostage.
"...just a mudblood," he was still giving his little speech when as he approached her. He let out a sigh and continued, "But I guess, somewhere in between, I really have –"
She spat right into his face.
For the first time, she spoke.
And she had only two words for him, "Fuck you."
0 0 0
He wanted to hurt her.
He really did.
He was asked to go fetch her to the Circle after enjoying her one last time all on his own.
But when she looked at him with such hatred in her eyes, he suddenly couldn't bring himself to do it.
As he looked closer, he saw his reflection in her dilated pupils.
He saw himself looking rather…lost, confused.
He couldn't bring himself to do it.
"I loved you."
There, he said it.
He didn't know who exactly he was saying it to.
To Lily? To Hermione? Or perhaps even both?
He didn't know and he didn't care.
The only thing that mattered was that…the message had finally been delivered.
After all these time, he finally said it.
He really did love her- them.
And in the name of love, he would spare her.
He would protect her from all the pain and harm.
He would.
"I loved you," he repeated again as he looked into her eyes, "Avada Kedavra."
A/N: Well, what do you guys think? Not too bad, I hope? Please leave a comment 'cause I would really love to hear your thoughts!