Cruel Intentions
Chapter One
-The Proposal

I hardly knew how we ended up here, in his office. I sat awkwardly against his stiff backed sofa listening to the clanging sounds coming from what I assumed was the kitchen. At any second he would return and I so tried to appear at ease, but the shallow breaths caught in my throat causing my chest to rise and fall at an unnatural pace and my burning face to light up like a glowing red bulb.

When he made the suggestion that I assist him in his research I thought that he was joking. I stood there, dumb, waiting for the insult that I was sure would follow, but none came.

He just stood there, waiting, with his intense black eyes boring holes into mine. An empty stare that left me feeling stripped. "Well," he enquired, in a voice so low it was almost as though he hadn't spoken at all. Indeed I wouldn't have trusted my ears if it hadn't had been for the mesmerising pattern that his thin lips wove, his tongue flicking like a snake to punctuate the crisp ending of his sentance.

With every fibre of my common sense I screamed to look away, to dart my eyes around the empty dungeon and look at anything other than him. I couldn't break the contact. I wanted to, but my eyes were captivated. They were out of my control, they were rebelling against my orders.

My throat was dry and scratchy and speech seemed impossible. I nodded my head, mutely, in an awkward jerky motion; my senses were hazy and the room seemed to spin as I did. Through my stabbing fear I couldn't form even one rational thought.

"Good," he hissed in that deep monotone and strode forwards, his black cloak billowing out like the wings of a bat.

As he drew closer every muscle in my body froze, except my heart it raced at a painful speed until all I could hear in my ears was the thumping flow of blood. I held my breath until my lungs started to ache. I was petrified.

He walked straight past me. His eyes looked right through me as though I wasn't even there. He continued out into the blinding sunlight of the corridor, and up the stairs.

Suddenly it felt like a weight had been lifted off me as I let out the breath that I had been holding. With a groan I realised that I had likely secured myself an evening of taunts and ridicule from the loathsome head of the Slytherin House. The inquisitive voice in my mind chastised myself for my negatively I had stumbled into a dream opportunity that was almost never granted to mere students, it was dangerous potions research that could change the Wizarding world. However, I couldn't shut off a part of my mind that kept repeating that something was wrong. There was this niggling fear that Snape was more than he seemed.

Walking forwards to the door I hit the edge of his desk, hard. It would leave a bruise.

She fell for it hook, line and sinker, just like I always knew that she would. It had taken months of careful positioning, but finally I had her where I wanted.

My twisted plot had been devised a year before, during my disastrous occlumency sessions with Potter, he was truly his father's son, taunting me with those deep emerald green eyes. When was inside his mind I saw it all, possibly more than even he could see. I saw a quiet unspoken love for the buck-toothed know-it-all he associated with. He loved her like I had loved Lily, so pure and so innocent.

My plan was born. Something so beautiful, untouchable and naive... I would break it. I would smash it into so many pieces that it would become unrecognisable. I'd show them all just how cruel I could be.

Entrapping her was easy. After all she is so young and naive. Over the months I gradually lessened her harsh treatment, going as far once to even compliment her intelligence. It was all so subtle that she never noticed a thing. But subconsciously it was a world of change. She had always respected me, I played to that. Slowly that respect transformed to something deeper, admiration, I played to that too.

When I spoke it was her that I fixed my eyes on. I probed her mind using Legimency more than once and saw that it was working, the rush I felt was incredible. I did try to avoid using Legimency; I never probed too deep in her mind. This was a game I wouldn't cheat in. Finally I saw it was time.

"Miss Granger, if I may have a word?" I requested leaning against the edge of my desk.

She stopped dead in the doorway. She froze like a rabbit caught in a light. She turned warily, her eyes darting around the room as though evaluating her chances of escape. Finally she resigned to her fate, her head dropped an inch lower and her eyes dulled.

I could almost taste her fear on my tongue. It was intoxicating, a rush of sheer power. I had to fight off the signs of amusement from my face as she looked up at me.

"Yes Sir?" she squeaked pathetically and I had the childish urge to roll my eyes.

I bade my time, enjoying her fear, before responding. "I'm carrying out some important potions research. You'd be sufficiently capable of assisting me, would you like to?"

The stammering chit just stood there her jaw slack and her eyes wide. My patience got thin. "Well?" I hissed fighting to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

Still the girl stared and then silently she nodded. Finally an agreement, I was glad not to have to resort to drugging her.

I left the dungeons leaving her standing there like a fool watching the space that I had previously occupied. A smirk crept across my lips as I realised that it was going better than I had ever planned.

That was how I had got her here, waiting in my office as I fixed a pot of tea. With a certain amount of clanging I pulled a kettle from the back of a dusty cupboard. Usually I'd leave orders with my House Elf but I knew that that would lower her admiration of me and so I did it the hard way.

I poured myself a swift scotch, throwing it back in one burning numbing gulp and while pouring the teas I slipped a mild calming drought into her cup. This mind-numbingly boring awkwardness just wouldn't do.

I joined her back in my office.