This is a story created out of a series of 9 one-hundred word drabbles written for the GrangerSnape100 "Dark Hermione/Sick in Bed" Challenge.
Warnings: Dark Fic; Character Death; Adult Language; Violence
Enjoy! (Reviews greatly appreciated)
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He attempted to open his eyes, the intruding brightness causing him to blink rapidly as light-induced tears began to blur his vision.
A soft touch caressed the side of his face; he was too weak to swat it away.
"Professor?" Asked a delicate female voice.
He slowly raised his right hand enough to place it against his forehead, military-style, as a buffer from the blinding sunlight that streamed through the polluted window panes.
"Severus, wake up." The voice called once more.
His eyes were fast adjusting, and he could see her more clearly now. Hermione Granger. He should have known.
She smiled at him. "You're finally up."
She lurched quickly, noticing his attempt to exit his bed. "No! Don't… you've been hurt. You need your rest."
She was probably right. He didn't care.
"I must go… he… the Dark Lord…"
"He's gone, Professor." She replied soothingly. "Defeated days ago by Harry Potter. Take a look at your arm."
He looked down at his forearm and could not stifle a gasp. His dark mark – the mark that had haunted his days and his steps for more than twenty years – had disappeared.
He looked up at his former student. "How?" he whispered.
"Harry destroyed all of the Horcruxes." She answered. "After the last one was destroyed, he just sort of… disappeared."
Severus sighed contentedly. "I can't believe it. It's finally over."
"You must be relieved to see him gone." She commented.
"You have no idea."
"Here." She offered. "Let me help you…"
She prompted him to lift his back so that she could place 3 large pillows behind him, aiding him in sitting up to face her.
"Better?" She asked.
"Much."
She sat down on the edge of the bed, facing away from him.
"I knew you were innocent." She said confidently.
"I am not innocent." He replied softly.
"Hmmm… maybe so. But you were always on the side of The Order. Always fighting for Hogwarts… Dumbledore… against him."
"I suppose it is permissible to admit that now." He commented.
"It's true, then?" She asked, turning to face him. "You never truly returned to the Dark Lord. You were always acting on Dumbledore's orders?"
"Yes." He said quickly, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his chest.
She turned away and he paused, mulling over her previous statement.
"Miss Granger… Did you just refer to You-Know-Who as… the Dark Lord?"
She let out a hollow chuckle. "Smart as a whip, aren't you, Snape?"
She rose from the bed and turned to face him, wand drawn and at the ready. He froze, unsure of what to make of her actions.
She smirked. "He made it clear that it was imperative, you know. Finding out once and for all where your loyalties lie. I knew I wouldn't have to disappoint him."
"Miss Gra-"
"Don't speak to me, Severus. You're a disgrace to the Death Eaters."
"What the fuck is going-"
"Oh, shut – up." She sneered. "I've grown weary of your whining. Crucio!"
He felt a searing pain course through his veins and muscles, slicing him down to the bone. As quickly as it had come, the pain was gone.
"You didn't really think that a brat like Potter could defeat the Dark Lord, did you, Severus?"
He stood absolutely still, watching her every move, trying to discover a weakness she didn't know she had. Unfortunately, he had taught her well.
"Just so you know, Severus… with you gone, I'll take your place as 'Spy' for the Order. The Dark Lord's victory will be assured."
"How could I not have known about this?"
"Easy, Severus. You walk around with your head up your ass. You were so concerned with teaching Potter Legillimency and finding the Dark Lord's Horcruxes, that you failed to notice you were slipping within the Dark Lord's ranks."
"My arm-"
"A glamour." She smirked.
She continued, "It was you that inspired me to join him, you know. The power that you always held over your students… I knew it had to have come from your practice as a Death Eater. I wanted that power, too. I wanted to feel the omnipotence that all of you felt… and now, I have."
"How long?" He asked.
"Sixth year. You were so preoccupied with Draco that you didn't even bother to notice what I was doing. The timing was perfect, actually." She smirked at the astonished look he was giving her. "Yes, I know all about Draco… and the vow. Really, Severus, I thought you had more sense than that…
"It was I who convinced Draco that you were a traitor to our cause. That's why he didn't tell you anything about his endeavors last year. He knew you were a filthy traitor."
"No matter…" She said airily. "You'll pay for your treachery."
"Miss Granger…" Severus said calmly. "Don't go through with this. You can't possibly understand... the life of a Death Eater… of a spy… it will consume you. You'll spend your days avoiding cynical Order members, and your nights afraid that another Death Eater will murder you in your sleep because of your placement in the Dark Lord's circle.
"I want to help you." He said earnestly. "Remember that I was your professor for six years. I believe that you trust me, Miss Granger. If not, then go ahead and kill me."
She smiled as she answered him.
"Ok. Avada Kadavra."