Chapter 1
The Dark Horse
A glass slipper; a kiss to wake a princess from a death like sleep; a dark knight on a white charger... What girl hasn't dreamed of being swept off her feet by a fairy-tale romance?
Once upon a time in the majestic Wizarding countryside of Scotland, a young lady named Hermione Granger, dreamed that very dream.
But she did so only after all her other dreams had been shattered...
Darkness descended upon Hogwarts as a lone hooded figure made its way into the Forbidden Forest. Once reaching its heart, Albus paused; waiting for his spy. There was no telling what state Severus would be in after a Dark Revel.
It's true, the boy should have stopped spying a long time ago; but that would not have helped the side of the light. There were casualties in war and any good chess player knew what pawns were the best to play.
Besides Severus should look upon his service to the Order as atonement. After all he had a lot to be forgiven for; James and Lily being first and fore most. Wither there was a god or not this was his hell. Here and not some place full of fire and brimstone would he serve out his penance till the very last.
A slight movement in the bushes pulled Albus out of his thoughts. Severus emerged, limping slowly toward the Headmaster. It seemed tonight they had let him go easy. Probley a first and last for the younger wizard.
"Is he ready?"
"The Dark Lord is more than ready." Pausing Severus caught his breath. "The attack will come soon." An uneasy silence fell as the Potions Master tried to block his emotions. "She will be the first he comes for. With her down he believes Potter will be distracted."
The deep sadness the Potions Master tried to hide did not go unnoticed by Albus. He knew what the younger man was feeling. Severus was torn between duty and love; a place no one wanted to be.
The twinkle had gone from the Headmaster's eyes, "You must do whatever it takes to keep her safe. You do know that, my boy?"
A hot retort hung from his lips as they moved deeper into the forest. Further from the castle where they were safe to discuss business. It seemed that neither of them realized they were being followed. Coming to a second clearing Severus stopped.
"So what do you propose? To keep her safe during the final battle I will have to lock her somewhere inside the castle. No doubt she will want to be beside the boy wonder."
He did not let slip that he knew she was seeing the Potter boy. Nor did he let on that being beat out by yet another Potter made him want to curse everything in his path.
But Albus was not the Headmaster for nothing, and he read Severus like an open book. He made a noncommittal sound, "Take her under your wing. Show her what she must know to stay safe."
Understanding dawned on Severus' face. The Headmaster wanted him to seduce her away from Potter. For if the Dark Lord didn't see her as the key to Potter then he didn't see her at all.
"What you mean is to get her away from Potter using any means possible. Then what? Take her as my Lover? Make her trust me and then betray her? How very Slytherin of you Albus."
The Headmaster heard the venom in his friend's voice, and wondered if the young man before him understood the meaning of such a maneuver. He wondered if, Severus knew he would have done the same for Minerva if the shoe was on the other foot. As the muggles tend to say.
Albus Dumbledore knew what this poor soul was going through. His life, his happiness, meant nothing if not for hers. So what good is ones world if the reason for living in it is gone? Yes, when Miss Granger found out of his betrayal she would hate the very sight of him. But she would still be alive, and it would be Severus that had saved her. The Potions Master needed to understand such sacrifices.
The young wizard spoke pulling Albus from his thoughts again, "I cannot Albus. You do not know what the Dark Lord requires of me."
"My dear boy, I know he means for my end to come soon."
At this Severus snorted in the most undignified way, "Honestly, you wish for me to protect Miss Granger, by killing those she loves? Bloody Brilliant! Why didn't I think of giving her yet another reason to hate me?"
"She will still be alive after the smoke clears."
"ALIVE!" Snape's ire began to boil,"You call some kind of half life alive?"
"Please, Severus, if you could stop your pity party for a moment." Seeing the shocked look on Snape's face he
continued on, "That is where this comes in."
Pulling a roll of parchment out of one of the many pockets of his robes, Albus handed it to his companion. His eyes are alight with mischief as Severus read the scroll.
"Surely you don't mean for me to brew this? I won't! Not for a love I shouldn't even seek."
Before the Potions Master could finish his diatribe he was cut off by the Headmaster.
"You are not brewing it for her. You are brewing enough for all of us."
"I cannot. You must know how dangerous this is?" He searched the Headmaster's face trying to figure out if this time the old man had really gone nutters. If this potion didn't work he would get them all killed.
"Severus, are you forgetting your Wizard's Oath?"
Snape blanched, at Albus' blatant Pearl Harbor job. How could he? That Oath was made only to keep him honest in the eyes of the Order. It had not been meant to make him jump through hoops everytime Albus had one of his hairbrain scemes.
"As you wish, Headmaster. But I must insist that you allow bloody Potter, to continue to hold, Miss Granger's heart."
With that Severus took his leave. There was much to do if he was to brew this potion. Two pairs of eyes watched his retreat, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Mr. Malfoy, you should go to your god-father."
"Professor Dumbledore, how did you…" He emerged from his hiding place brushing off his pants as he did so.
"My boy, I just knew. Now go to him."
Draco started off toward the castle, "Wait, on second thought he will be in a right bad mood this evening. Perhaps you should seek out your little red haired friend." The twinkle was back in the Headmaster's eyes.
Harry and Hermione were walking back from the kitchens arm in arm, as Professor Snape rounded the corner. Harry visibly bristled at the sight of him and all Hermione could do was look at her shoes.
"Out after curfew? Tisk… Tisk."
He just stood there cloaked in his Death Eater robes, looking upon them as if they were some form of sludge on his shoe. Severus didn't seem to notice that Hermione shivered at the sight of him.
"Nothing to say I see. Well then 20 points each from Gryffindor. Now off to bed with you both."
They turned to leave, Snape still staring at them. Hermione practely dragging Harry along with her. But from behind them they heard Snape speak again.
"That is your own beds, Mr. Potter."
Harry's wand hand twitched, and the feeling to hex his professor into tomorrow was strong. "What is it your business?" He said turing now to face his nemesis.
"Excuse me, Mr. Potter. I believe this is very much my business. I don't need to have a busy haired know it all ready to hex everything in sight; once you have divided and conquered so to speak."
"Please, Professor. Harry isn't like that." Hermione spoke so low if Severus wasn't watching her lips intently he would not have known she spoke.
"Miss Granger, I believe the boy-who-lived does not need you to come to his aid. But please do tell, how you would know he is not looking to just take something you hold dear and then head for the hills? Our back to another's more welcoming arms?"
His voice was a pitch too low and she knew she was treading on thin ice. But he had finally pushed her too far. How dare he even say something like that about Harry?
"You horrid, letchertious old man. How dare you speak of Harry that way?"
There was no stopping Hermione once she got up on her soap box and Harry wasn't about to. He could still remember when she had gone off and started S.P.E.W, and just the thought of it made him shudder.
She had now walked right up to Professor Snape and standing toe to toe with Hogwarts most feared Professor she let him have it.
"Do you think that everyone in this world is as horrid as you? If I choose to give myself to him it isn't your business. Besides I would go to him willingly, how many women have gone to you that way?"
Severus' hand shot out and grabbed the little know-it-all by the arm. All that kept running around in Hermione's head was 'Oh, my god what have I said?'
"Go back to your rooms Mr. Potter. Miss Granger and I have a little matter to discuss."
Harry looked from Hermione to Snape and realized that desecration was the better part of valor today. He gave an apolignec look to Hermione and then turned and took off toward Gryffindor tower.
The door to Severus Snape's chambers banged open as he swooped in; trailing in his wake was Hermione Granger. She stopped in the middle of his living room as he continued through a door that could only have lead to his bed room.
"Now you have done it Granger." Saying it aloud to the room made her feel a little better.
Better that was, until Professor Snape came back into the room a pensive held between his hands. "Sit." was all he said as he put the pensive down before her.
"Now Miss Granger you will learn that your words have consciences."
He pushed her head forward and she was thrust into one of the many memories Severus wished he never had in the first place. But after 20 years in the service of Voldemort there are plenty of things you wish to forget.
Hermione saw the mist swirl around her, and slowly the world of Severus' memory came into view. They were in a room filled with people. Not just any people, Death Eaters. There were women and men in several different states of undress, all of them seemed to be in some form of pain.
That is when Snape took her hand and brought her before one Death Eater and his conquest. He was moving against her as if she was the first hump he had ever had. The girl's cries went unheard. But there was a voice above it all. A voice that Hermione placed as the man standing next to her, but his lips weren't moving.
That is when she realized that this memory had also taken his thoughts with it to spare him any further pain.
"I would have rather ended her life if it wouldn't have blown my cover. I find these animals around me that think they are my peers off putting."
Hermione was about to say something when the scene shifted and she was subjected to yet another horrid Dark Revel. She saw what happened to Severus the first time he turned down the entertainment the Dark Lord had provided.
The Dark Lord had had another Death Eater whip the Potions Master so that he could not sleep on his back for a month.
There was a swift jerking motion and they were back in Snape's study. She could not meet his eyes, as she shuffled her feet in front of her.
"Now, Miss Granger, tell me what you think those acts cost me?"
She could not look at him let alone answer his question. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Please, Professor."
Bringing his hand under her chin he titled her face up to his, "No, I shall not spare you the shame of your words. Now, tell me?"
When Hermione's honeyed eyes met his obsidian ones Severus almost forgot what she had said to him. And he could not recall whether he wanted her to say she was sorry or that she loved him. He shook her a little to get her to speak.
"I think they might have taken a piece of our soul." Hermione's voice caught and before she burst into tears she pulled away from him and ran from his chambers. Not stopping until she reached Gryffindor tower.
