I own nothing. The wonderful J.K. Rowling owns any recognizable content/characters in this story.

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The Unfortunate Beginning

Severus and Hermione had just come back from her parents' funeral. Severus squeezed her hand as they walked through the small muggle town. They had to get to the nearest fireplace with a connection line to get back to school, because Hermione didn't really know how to apparate yet. That lesson had just started being taught to her and her other sixth year classmates.

Hermione had been lucky to be at school when Death eaters torched her house. She and Severus had gone to see the house for the first time this morning. The house was totally burned to the ground. Unfortunately, she had left Paris at home this year, so she was gone, too. Now, Hermione had no one.

At that moment Severus clutched his arm. Hermione came out of her thoughts and stopped walking. She stared at Severus, as he seemed pained, but was straining not to show it.

"I'm being called. Stay here. I'll be back for you." Severus said, then he leaned down to her and gave a chaste kiss on the lips. He disappeared just as she opened her eyes. That kiss, she thought, where had it come from?

Hermione didn't know where to go. She didn't know this area at all and she couldn't apparate, safely, anywhere. She would have to sit there and wait for her Professor to come back. Hopefully, he won't be gone long, she thought.

Hermione walked for a few minutes. She was walking quite slowly so it hadn't taken her far from where she was before. She settled under a tree. She held her knees to her chest and stared into the sky.

Hermione could see Severus approaching her slowly. There were so many questions running through her mind. Had Voldemort called him for what she thought he did? Did Harry survive? Did he get hurt? Where was everyone? Did anyone survive?

All those questions died in her throat as Severus got closer. He waited until he got closer and fell to his knees. She saw the defeated look of failure on his face. Obviously, it didn't go very well. She just wrapped her arms around his head and held him until he recovered.

A few seconds later, he stood up. He looked deep into her eyes, but didn't say anything. Hermione wanted to ask her questions. Maybe she had jumped to conclusions and Severus was just suffering from a spell.

"They're gone, Hermione. All of them."

Hermione gasped. "What happened?"

"When I got there, Voldemort told me that he had set a device in place at Hogwarts. It was set to go off today. The call was to make sure I was out of the area. He didn't want his precious potions master to get killed. Anyway, the device went off near the Great hall, where as you know, mostly everyone was having dinner. It was basically a bomb. Everyone it didn't get was killed by a toxic gas that traveled through the entire school. We're the only one's left." Severus said. He was angry he had even told the Order that Voldemort planned to attack Hogwarts. They would have been at Grimmauld Place instead of getting blasted in the Great hall.

"So, what now?"

Severus sighed. "Well, he is planning on enslaving all muggles and using the muggleborn and halfblood women to breed more followers. Any magical men who do not want to join his cause will be killed."

"Can't I just... hide somewhere safe?" Hermione asked desperately.

"I'm not sure where safe is anymore."

"So, then, what happens to us?"

"I continue on in my service. And I'll take care of you. That was the last thing Albus asked of me. He asked me to keep any of the children that survived, safe. Since you are the only one, I must make it my duty to protect you."

"Alright." Hermione said. Severus pulled her into a hug. Then he apparated them to another place. A lonely, yet spacious area. Hermione looked up at her professor questioningly.

"Well, apparating you was against the law, but I doubt the ministry will be worrying about such small things now."

"Where are we?" Hermione asked, looking at the medium sized cottage.

"My home. Well, the other one. My other home was Hogwarts, but since that place is gone ... this is my only home."

She pulled away slightly. He sounded desperate and she had a sudden need to see his face. He looked down at her intently for a moment before bending down to kiss her. The kiss was hard and demanding. She fought to return it and hold her ground. She touched his face with one hand and realized that his cheek was wet with tears. She had never seen a grown man cry before and the fact that it was this man… this powerful wizard made the horror of the whole thing become real to her. It hit her all afresh. Her parents were gone. Her friends were gone. Both the places she called home were gone. All that was left to her was this man at breaking point.

She made no protest when he lifted her into his arms and bore her to his bed.

He dropped her down and climbed hastily on top of her. His eyes were crying but the rest of him still struggled to maintain his cold facade. She reached a hand up and grasped his greasy hair. He brought his lips down to hers again and resumed his angry kissing whilst tearing at her clothing with his strong hands.

She clenched up inside but made no attempt to fight him or to assist him. She focused on his lips and his mouth and forced herself to be acquiescent to his, out of control, passion. Within a few moments he had her breasts bared, her skirt raised and her panties so torn as to be useless for their purpose.

He moved his head down to her breast and sucked it roughly into his large mouth. She felt something, a trace of a feeling in her system, which was swamped by grief. It was like a small spark to kindle her emotions. He moved his mouth to her other breast and suckled and tongued it forcefully.

She brought her hands to his head and began to stroke him gently as he used his hands to spread her open for him. She could feel his hardness against her ankle as he pressed her into the soft mattress. It was going to be soon, she could tell.

He pushed himself up onto his knees and began to unbutton the Muggle slacks he had worn for the visit to the Undertakers. She continued to lie as he had positioned her, refusing to pay heed to the urge to cover herself. He pulled his white shirt over his head and pushed the slacks down in order to free his large erection.

It was red and angry looking. Hermione felt another emotion pushing at the edges of her mind. It was fear. This was going to hurt.

He lay on her again and this time she could feel his bare skin against hers. He kissed her again… this time more gently and positioned himself to enter her.

She was only very slightly moist and as he pressed himself slowly and steadily into her, she felt raw. There was a sharp twinge as he broke through her barrier but she bit back the impulse to cry out. He rested for a moment when he was fully seated inside her and then began to rock her gently. This was bearable and she could see where pleasure might come from this friction.

She ran her hands over his bared torso marveling at the strength she could sense there. Unusually, for a girl of her age, she had not thought much about men. Yes, in theory, she knew about biological variations between the sexes but she had not been ready to consider giving herself to a man.

His thrusts were growing more and more vigorous now and after a short while he came and she felt the hot stickiness of his release, as it filled her. He was shaking again and she realized he was now convulsing with the sobs that had not accompanied his earlier tears. She embraced him as he lay on her and she kissed her way down his collarbone muttering the soothing noises a mother might make to her weeping child.

It took a long time for him to calm but when he did he reached into a drawer in the bedside cabinet and produced a knife, a large sharp one. He put it into her hand.

"Why are you giving me this?" she asked in confusion.

"I am a Death Eater. I just raped you. At least, now, you will be prepared for whatever depravities they force upon you. Use the knife on me. I will not resist. I doubt a child as soft as you could do any harm with 'Avada Kedavra' so I'll lie still while you cut my throat."

"I thought you were going to protect me," she said, a trace of anger in her voice.

"A fine job I'm doing of it so far. The last thing Albus asked of me was that I protect you and look what I did. Face it Miss Granger, all the good men are dead, or as good as, and men like me have survived. If I had not informed Dumbledore that the Dark Lord was about to strike, the Order would not have moved to Hogwarts. I, as good as, killed the whole Weasley family and every friend you had. Use the knife, or would you rather I used it on you? It will be quick and painless. I promise."

"I'm not ready to give up yet," she sneered. "I'll hang on to my life until I'm truly convinced it will never be worth living. Voldemort's not immortal. I'm young and I'm strong and I'm clever and everyone but you thinks me dead."

"I want to give mine up. I don't want to be the Dark Lord's creature. I hurt you. Take your revenge."

"I'll live. You didn't do anything to me I didn't allow."

"I don't believe I gave you a choice. Besides which you are a child in my care. You're not allowed to choose me."

"I'm seventeen, hardly a child. You're not my teacher. You can't be. I don't go to school. It got bombed. I'm over the age of consent as far as Muggles are concerned and I don't think Wizarding laws afford me any protection any more. The only thing protecting me is you but you'd rather lie here feeling sorry for yourself."

"And how will the Dark Lord meet his end when Potter fried this afternoon?" he shot cruelly.

Stripes of anger appeared on Hermione's brow, but quickly disappeared."The confrontation between Voldemort and Harry never took place therefore there has to be an opening for him to die in some other way. He took Harry away before he reached his destiny. DTHBC Principles demand a balance for that. Are you going to cowardly bow out now when something could certainly be done or will you work with me to find a way?"

"Strident little bitch," he commented sourly. "So are you going to carry on trading your favours for my protection?"

"If I need to, then yes. Although I had hoped that you would give your protection as a gift and I would give you comfort as a reciprocal gift. However if your Slytherin mind can only work in terms of trade so be it."

"If I protect you then you will not leave this house until the Dark Lord is dead or deposed. If I am discovered to be hiding you, then you have ended my life as well as your own. Do you understand me Miss Granger?"

"I understand you. I will not put you at risk."

A/N:

So, this is the beginning of what I hope will be a long story. I've written some Hermione/Severus for myself or friends, but this is the first attempt at a story online with the pairing. We'll see how it turns out.

Obviously DTHBC Principles aren't real, as far as I know. It's made up. DTHBC standing for Destiny That Has Been Changed.

Leave some feedback, please. ^^