Chapter 2
Double Trouble
Disclaimer: Ok, nothing has changed… I still don't own Harry Potter, I still don't own Snape (as much as I wish I did), and I don't own Hermione.
Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as chapter one if not more so. I'm changed the title because Light in the Dark sounded to cliché and I don't think it really is that great of a name for my story. I would like to thank pointblank1 for staying up so late editing so that I could update today. Please Review and I hope that you enjoy this chapter.
When they had reached the bottom of the hill, Snape turned sharply and grabbed the girl by the upper arm. She gave a squeak of surprise that was cut off when he disapparated away with a "crack."
They reappeared just outside of the Hogwarts wards. Snape strolled in the direction of the gates, one hand still grasping the girl's arm firmly. The girl struggled and let out a soft "ow." Snape didn't look back as he continued to half-drag the girl towards the gates.
"Ow, Professor, let go! You're hurting my arm!"
Snape turned, pulling the girl closer. "I'm hurting your arm, Miss Granger. This should be nothing compared to the pain that," Snape glared at the black mark on her arm, "caused."
The girl yanked her arm out of Snape's grasp and glared at him, rubbing her arm with her free hand.
Snape sneered but turned away from her and walked toward the gates. Pulling out his wand, he flung the gates open with a flick and cleared the wards as they entered.
The grounds of Hogwarts were exactly how he had left them; nothing had changed except for the moon in the sky. They were halfway across the grounds before Snape remembered to close the gates and reapply the wards.
Snape didn't pay any attention to the girl that was practically running behind him. The girl had acted very stupidly and would pay dearly if Snape had anything to do with it.
They had almost reached the gargoyle when he heard, or rather, didn't hear, the sound of an extra set of feet. He turned around and saw that, to his dismay, the brat wasn't behind him anymore. Cursing under his breath, Snape turned and headed back the way he came.
He had gone up two floors when he saw the hem of a cloak turn a corner. Pulling out his wand, he aimed at the fabric and snapped, "Petrificus Totalus."
The spell shot from his wand and, before the black cloak had completely vanished from sight, the spell found its target. And, to Snape's delight, he heard a soft, "thud."
Snape turned the corner and found the girl lying face down on the stone floor.
Pushing her over with his foot, Snape stared down at the girl, who looked angrier than a disrespected hippogriff.
Leaning against the wall, Snape watched as the girl attempted to struggle even though it was impossible to move even a millimeter under the spell.
"What do you think you're doing, Miss Malfoy?" sneered Snape. "Where do you think you were headed? The password to the Gryffindor common room has been changed since you were last here and I don't think you are stupid enough to go there. After tonight, though, I really don't know what to think of your intelligence. So, where were you headed? You didn't seem in a too big of hurry to get there… though you must have realized that no matter where in this school you could have gone, you would have been found, sooner or later."
Snape stared down at the girl, thinking over the questions in his head. Surely the girl realized that she wouldn't be able to escape him for long, and the wards would have been intensified to keep the girl in, but did the girl know another way out of the castle that they didn't? It was possible, but probable? He didn't think so.
Snape ripped off a piece of his robe and transformed it into rope, keeping his eyes on the evermore puzzling girl at his feet. Kneeling down, he pulled out her wand and slid it into his own pocket with a smirk; the girl's face was becoming redder by the second.
"Now, Miss Malfoy," said Snape coolly. "I think I'm going to bind you by your hands and possibly by your feet, too, because I don't think I can trust you after that stunt you just pulled."
Grasping her wrists, Snape bound them together as tightly as he could without cutting off her circulation completely. In order to avoid ripping more of his own robes, Snape turned and ripped a piece of the girl's robe and transformed it into another piece of robe. He then tied her feet, leaving some slack in between so that she could actually walk.
Standing back up, Snape looked down at the girl, "I am going to take the jinx off, and you're going to cooperate and come to the Headmaster's office."
The girl just glared at him, and Snape had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. But all the same, Snape gave his wand a flick and the girl was freed from the jinx.
The girl continued to glare at him, but Snape just raised an eyebrow in reply and said in a cold sneer, "You will lead the way, Miss Malfoy. Don't test my patience again tonight."
When they had reached the gargoyle, Snape was surprised to notice that the rest of their trip back to the Headmaster's office had been silent and uneventful. Snape still kept his wand at the ready up his sleeve just to be safe.
"Blood Pops," sneered Snape. The gargoyle leapt to life and sprang aside.
Snape waited as the girl hesitated but took a step forward onto the moving stairs. Snape got on right behind her, and when they had reached the door he barged in without knocking.
Dumbledore sighed but looked up as Severus came into the office, dragging a bushy haired girl along with him. Her face was hidden by her hair for a moment, but was thrown into the light as she was forced into a seat. Dumbledore gasped as he recognized her as Miss Hermione Granger.
"Severus," said Dumbledore sharply, "What is the meaning of this?"
Snape sneered, "The rope was necessary, Headmaster. She tried to flee as we approached your office. Miss Granger, or Miss Malfoy, as she is now, thought she could escape Hogwarts without anyone knowing."
"Miss Malfoy," said Dumbledore blankly.
"Yes," Snape said, lip curling. "It seems that Lucius didn't manage the simple task of ending the lives of all the women he assaulted, including the mother of Miss Malfoy here."
"Severus, I remain confused. Why did you bring Miss Granger here? I thought you were going to a Death Eater meeting."
"I did go to a Death Eater meeting. To my surprise, Miss Malfoy did, too."
"Severus, please explain." Dumbledore looked as if he was beginning to guess the truth, but wanted to hear it from Snape's own lips.
"No sooner had I gotten there than Lucius pushed a girl forward and, to my surprise, it was one Miss Granger. Now, I asked myself, what was Miss Granger doing here? The only logical thought was that she had been captured, but it seems that it was the other way around. It seems Miss Granger wanted to be caught," said Snape coolly. "After Miss Granger told everyone of how she found out she was a Malfoy, she asked to be branded."
Snape grabbed the rope that held the girl's hands and ripped down the girl's left sleeve.
"Professor, these are my best robes!" exclaimed Hermione.
Snape sneered at the girl but turned to see the surprised look on the Headmaster's face.
"I don't believe it."
"Neither did I," replied Snape.
There was silence as the Headmaster seemed to collect his thoughts. Snape glared down at the girl who was ignoring everyone completely and staring out the window, without an apparent care in the world.
Snape decided to speak up. "I think Miss Malfoy has a bit of explaining to do. I think that this interrogation might reach its conclusion faster under the influence of Veritaserum. Headmaster, with your permission, I would like to fetch some from my stores."
Dumbledore looked up and met Severus's eyes, "Do you think that will really be necessary, Severus? Surely using Legimency would be just as effective and not to mention less traumatic than using Veritaserum?"
"I have no doubt that under normal circumstances Legimency would be more than effective. In Miss Granger's case, however, I have no doubt that she has acquired some level of Occlumency over her years here at Hogwarts."
The girl's head turned to look at Snape. He saw with slight satisfaction that there was a bit of uncertainty in her eyes.
Snape turned back to Dumbledore, "If I may call a house elf to get the bottle for me?"
Without waiting for an answer, Snape called, "Winky!"
There was a pause and then a loud "Crack!"
"Yes, Professor Snape, sir? Does sir want anything- tea, coffee?"
"No, Winky, not now," snapped Snape. "I want you to bring me a bottle of Veritaserum. All of my bottles are in alphabetical order, now go."
The house elf gave a bow and then with another "Crack" she was gone.
They didn't have to wait long for the elf. No sooner had Snape seated himself than he heard a third "Crack" and the house elf reappeared with a crystal bottle in her grimy little hands.
"Here it is, sir," squeaked the elf.
Snape took the bottle and gave the elf a stiff nod before turning to the Headmaster. Behind him, he heard the elf leave and knew that they were alone.
"Right, now let's get this over with, Headmaster. I have better things to do tonight than interrogate hormonal teenagers."
"Wait," said a slightly shrill voice. "Don't I have a say in this? I mean, you could just ask me! I promise I'll answer truthfully."
"I don't think you have a say in the manner, Miss Malfoy," sneered Snape. "You gave up that decision when you received that 'blemish' on your arm."
The girl blushed. Snape didn't really notice, as he extracted the stopper of the bottle with his wand, conjured up a shot glass, and poured out three drops of the clear, water-like liquid.
Snape was just about ready to force the potion down the ungrateful girl's throat when he was stopped by the Headmaster.
"What?" snapped Snape.
"Let's give her the choice, Severus," said Dumbledore in a calm voice, eyes cold as ice. "She either takes it willingly and reaps the benefits, or she is forced to take it and suffers the consequences."
Snape smirked. The Headmaster did have a bit of a cold mind when it was necessary. Turning back to the girl, he saw that she was carefully thinking over everything that Dumbledore had just said and was analyzing it, looking for deeper meanings.
The girl's arms were still crossed in defiance. Snape suspected that force would be necessary in the form of either the Imperius curse or a Stunning Spell (after which they would pour the liquid down her throat). Snape was fine with both; neither would cause him to lose sleep.
All the same, Snape offered the glass to the girl and quirked his eyebrow, daring her to knock it out of his hand.
The girl looked at the glass and then into his eyes. What he saw was anger, pure hateful anger, the wish that the man standing in front of him would feel nothing but pain. It surprised him, then, when she shot out her right hand, grabbed the shot glass, and downed it.
They waited in silence for the potion to take effect. Snape looked out the window to see that dawn was finally approaching. The sun hadn't yet risen above the Forbidden Forest, but there was a pink hue illuminating the trees. It seemed to promise a beautiful day.
Turning back to the girl, Snape noticed that she had relaxed somewhat in her seat, a sure sign that the potion had taken effect. He decided to start with a test question.
"Miss Granger, please state your full name," whispered Snape.
In a monotone voice, the girl replied, "Hermione Jane Granger, soon to be Hermione Jane Malfoy, once the ministry receives word of the fact that Lucius Malfoy is my father."
Snape nodded his approval and turned to Dumbledore , whispering, "If you don't mind, Headmaster, I would like to head this interrogation."
Dumbledore nodded, and Snape turned back to the girl sitting in a daze in front of him.
Right, he thought, let's see what you have to say for yourself.
"Miss Granger, you told the Dark Lord that you searched for two nights and finally found your Muggle birth certificate on the third night at the local bank, is that true?"
The girl gave an emotionless, "Yes. Lucius Malfoy was listed as my father. My mother's name was one I didn't recognize."
"After you found your birth certificate, what did you do?"
Looking straight ahead, the girl replied, "I left town that night because I couldn't stand staying with those liars. I collected the few items that I desperately needed; money and a few books. Then, I held out my wand hand and got on the Knight Bus. I went to Diagon Alley. Once I got to the Leakey Caldron, I bought a room and spent the night there. The next day, I went to the Ministry because I knew that they keep records of the births of all the witches and wizards born in Great Britain. The people there couldn't find any record of me. I wasn't surprised, I didn't really expect there to be one, even if I was a Malfoy."
The girl paused. Snape could tell that she was trying to fight the potion. Her shoulders tensed and she squeezed her eyes shut. Snape decided to give the girl another drop of the potion. It wouldn't do for her to fight the potion. Veritaserum could cause brain damage if used improperly.
It wasn't hard to get the girl to take the extra drop. Once she had relaxed her shoulders, Snape asked her to continue.
"I went back to the Leaky Caldron. I wasn't sure what to do next, but I decided to go to the bookstore. Not only did I want to see if there was a new issue of Hogwarts, a History, but I wanted to check if there were any books that offered a way to verify that Lucius Malfoy was indeed my real father. I was happy to see that there was. I bought two books on the subject: Blood Testing for the Curious and So You Think that You Were Adopted. Both books offered me solutions to my problems, but I needed one that didn't require use of my wand, for I'm still underage.
"I found the perfect solution in Blood Testing for the Curious. It gave the directions for a simple potion that could be used to check parentage. The only ingredient that I couldn't buy was a drop of Lucius Malfoy's blood. I got the other ingredients and borrowed a cauldron from Tom the barkeeper.
"I still had to think of a way to get a drop of Lucius's blood without him noticing. It took me another day to get my answer, which came when I was looking through my window into Muggle London. I noticed that the TV store across the street was showing the news. There was a report of kidnappings involving kids being knocked out by a sedative that was kept in a ring with a needle. That fit perfectly, except for the fact that all I wanted was a drop of blood and I didn't want to knock him out.
"I made one myself. I had taken art when I was in Muggle school and they taught us how to make jewelry. I attached a short needle to the ring. I used a syringe needle, so that I could use the microscopic pocket in it to my advantage. After staying at the Leakey Caldron for three nights I had everything I needed. Now, I just needed to wait for Lucius Malfoy."
She paused and took a small breath. Dumbledore transformed a scrap of paper on his desk into a glass, filled it with water, walked around his desk, and gave it to the girl.
She took the glass and drank from it gratefully. Snape waited for her to finish and set the glass down.
"Right, Miss Granger," drawled Snape, "I am guessing that you waited a few days, and you either learned or noticed that Lucius pops into Diagon Alley every few days to go to Knockturn Alley. You took advantage of this, you got yourself caught, and then what? What did Lucius do with you once he caught you?"
She opened her mouth to answer when Dumbledore held up a hand to interrupt. "If I may ask one question, Severus, before we continue."
Snape nodded.
Dumbledore turned his eyes back to the girl. "While you were staying at the Leakey Caldron, did you try and contact either Mr. Weasley or Mr. Potter? Did either contact you?
The girl turned her attention to Dumbledore, her eyes as expressionless as ever. "Yes, I contacted them both. I was desperate to confide in someone. I was scared and, now that I look back, foolish. I wrote and explained that I was, in fact, Lucius Malfoy's daughter, even though I didn't know for sure myself. Their replies were full of disgust. They accused me of deceiving, and even using, them. Harry was slightly less condemning then Ron, but not too much so. I didn't contact them again, and I never received another letter from either of them."
Snape stared, slightly dumbstruck at the both the Potter brat and the Weasley prat's behavior. They had been so cold towards their best friend. Granted, they had found out that she was daughter to the father of their worst enemy at school.
Snape shook his head. He would consider that information later and possibly punish them for being so stupid. It obviously affected her greatly, even though she didn't show it.
"Please return to my question, Miss Granger. What did Lucius do with you once he caught you?" continued Snape.
"Lucius quietly stunned me and took me back to his manor. I woke up later that night, chained to a cold stone wall in his cellar," continued Hermione in her monotone voice.
Snape looked over to where Dumbledore was sitting. The man's blue eyes were full of concern. Snape turned back to the girl.
"I was left alone in the cellar for what felt like days, but might have been only hours. After, however long it was, Lucius finally brought me something to eat- leftovers. He told me that I didn't deserve the leftovers, but he didn't want me to die before he brought me before the Dark Lord. When he had left the tray, he boasted about 'doing the lady' that he guessed must have been my mother. He said that I had her horrible hair and disgustingly brown eyes. And, later, he admitted that he had pulled some strings and had had the documentation on me destroyed.
"I never learned what became of my mother, but I can guess. The hours spent in his cellar were horribly lonely and cold. It was maddening. The pitch black cellar played with my imagination; sometimes I couldn't tell if I was awake or asleep. There were a few times I wished that I had just died."
She stopped there. Snape, without thinking, filled her glass with water. She stared down at the water. After she had drunk half of it, she seemed to be in deep thought as she swirled the water that was left.
Snape watched her for a while before he continued, "Did Draco every visit you while you were there? And when did you decide to ask for the Dark Mark? Lucius seemed surprised by your request."
She rolled her head over to look at Snape and smiled, "It's because of Draco that I took the Mark, though I had already considered it before I had gotten to the Malfoy manor. Draco snuck down one night to the cellar. He no doubt had seen his father drag me into the house, but he must have kept quiet about it. I'm sure that Lucius didn't know his son was coming down to see me. When Draco saw me, he, of course, made fun of me; mocked me for being such a stupid little mudblood. And he was just about to leave when we heard his father come downstairs. Draco put a Disillusionment charm on himself and waited in the corner. Lucius came in with the usual tray of leftovers. He told me that even though I was a Malfoy, he still considered me nothing more then a filthy mudblood and that I would soon learn my place if he had his way. After he had left, Draco took off the charm and stared at me, wide-eyed. He later apologized for how he treated me and told me that he would help me escape."
"Is that all, Miss Granger? I find it hard to believe you so willingly accepted Draco, after how horrible he has been to you, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Weasley." said Dumbledore.
"Draco told me that he hadn't had any choice but to treat them like that. Especially since it was Harry who had been first to insult Draco by declining his friendship. Draco said that since then, it's been hard for him to slip out of that attitude. Every time he visited me, he always apologized for when he used to call me mudblood, even though I had long since forgiven him."
"You haven't answered the other question that I asked you, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly, "Or, partly at least. Why did you decide to take the Dark Mark?"
"I considered taking the Dark Mark after the responses I got from my so-called friends," she spat. "Even then, it was just a thought; I was and am tired of their immaturity and their stupidity. I have dealt with that long enough, and this was the last straw.
"Draco reinforced the idea. He had come down one night to talk and to discuss a way to get myself freed. I decided to tell him that I was thinking of taking the Dark Mark. He sat in silence for a while before he looked back at me with wide eyes. He said that I could use that to ensure my safety and freedom when I was brought before the Dark Lord. Draco said that he could try to convince his father to tell the Dark Lord that I came willing. That was true enough, but would spark the Dark Lord's interest enough to let me speak. I could go from there. Lucius didn't know that I was planning to reveal the one secret he had planned to keep from the Dark Lord."
They sat in silence, the room becoming lighter as the sun rose above the trees, spilling golden beams across the Headmaster's wooden table. Snape stared at the girl in front of him. She had truly changed dramatically since the last time she had been inside this school.
Snape pulled out his wand and pointed it at the girl.
"What are you going to do, Severus?" asked Dumbledore in a slightly cautious voice.
Snape was too tired to think about rolling his eyes, but replied, "I intended to Stun her for a while so that we can discuss what to do with her without being interrupted."
Dumbledore sighed, resigned. "Alright, Severus, if you think it's really necessary."
"Stupefy," said Snape, and a beam of red light hit the girl in the chest. She slumped forward in her seat.
"What do we do with her, Severus? We cannot deny her entrance to school."
"I don't think that she's too much of a danger to the other students. She's more of a danger to Potter than anyone else, and the Dark Lord just wantsinformation on Potter from her, nothing else. I think the safest option is to let her come back to school and keep a watchful eye on her," said Snape in an emotionless voice.
"Yes, I suppose that is the only option we really have," sighed Dumbledore as he took off his half moon spectacles and rubbed them on his navy blue robes. "We will need to erase this conversation from her mind, of course. If she has truly changed sides, even for the time being, it would not be safe for her to remember you bringing her up to my office."
"I could modify her memory now and reawaken her outside the gates of Hogwarts," suggested Snape. "I could tell her that she passed out because of the combined traumas caused by the disapparation and receiving the Dark Mark. I have read in a book that it is possible, so even if she does check, she'll find that it could have happened."
"I believe that will be appropriate. What, however, will we do with her during these upcoming weeks?" questioned Dumbledore. "You could have her help out in your laboratory. She is smart enough that she could handle even some of the more difficult potions that the hospital wing needs."
"She can help with that, and that will leave me time to work on some research that I have been meaning to do," said Snape thoughtfully. "I will also have to schedule time to teach her the Dark Arts. That was my excuse to the Dark Lord so that I could bring her to the castle. She'll have to learn the Curses sooner or later."
More silence greeted this statement. Snape realized how truly tired he was. When he looked out the window, he noticed the one problem with their plan.
"Headmaster," Snape said tiredly. "If I'm to tell her that she passed out when we disapparated, how will I explain the fact that it's light out?"
"Ah," said Dumbledore, "That is quite the inconsistency… Take her to the hospital wing. Tell her whatever you like. It will be better this way, because then you can tell her that I have already been informed of her presence here. This saves you from lying again."
Snape looked over to the girl, and then back up to Dumbledore, "If we're going to modify her memory, let's do it now. I can wait to reawaken her until after I have gotten some rest, but let's get rid of these memories while they are easy to find and still fresh in her head."
"Obliviate!"
Stayed up till 3:03 writing this (and 1:16 editing it!!!—Pointblank1) Hope you enjoy this chapter. Please have a safe and happy New Year. And as always please REVIEW.