Chapter Two: The Guest of Lord Voldemort:
One Year Later:
Hermione struggled again to get free but it was a futile move on her part. She had been captured by death eaters and though she fought bravely she had been overwhelmed and captured. Now bound a death eater grabbed her and took something from the pockets of his robes. With a jerk she felt herself flying through the air and she braced herself as they landed so she would not stumble and fall. She did keep to her feet and found herself in a room in an old crumbling manor. The death eater who had a good grip on her drug her forward to where a hooded man stood in the shadows. Hermione knew who that man was before he turned to face her. She saw his red eyes glowing in his white snake-like face and she willed her mind blank as he came forward to face her.
"Ah so you bring me a prize do you Lucius?" Voldemort asked softly.
"Oh so now I have to deal with two annoying idiots." Hermione said coolly.
"Charming, isn't she?" Voldemort said stepping to and forcing Hermione to look him in the eye. "I will enjoy breaking her later, take her out of here!"
"Yes master." Lucius said bowing low.
"I have a new ally to bring here, I think the traitor and our guest will find our friend engaging."
"Yes master I do believe they will." Lucius replied.
Lucius drug Hermione out and down a set of stairs to corridors deep under what Hermione could only guess was Riddle manor. In fact she had no idea but was only guessing where she was and she knew there was a good chance she was dead. She had heard rumors about the death eaters and was fearing for more than her safety now. Lucius shook her roughly as she stumbled and he had to drag her up. He was masked and hooded and did not speak to her as he drug her along. It was dark down here, the only light came from Lucius' wand, if not for her extra senses Hermione was sure she would have got lost fast. She was drug to a room and struggled as she was drug in and chained to the wall.
"You bastard!" She snarled at Lucius.
"I will not hurt you like that girl." Lucius snarled, "but I have no problem in teaching you a little lesson you mudblood scum!"
"Look in the mirror, you are the true scum!" Hermione shot back.
"Enjoy your new roommate, I am sure he will enjoy your company." Lucius snarled.
He left the room and Hermione heard a moan of pain and she turned and gasped in horror. Hanging from chains, naked bloody and starved was Severus Snape. His long black hair framed his sallow skinned face and he was filthy and had a full beard as he had not shaved or been shaved in weeks. Hermione saw he was awake and he looked over at her with pain filled eyes. Hermione wished she could get out of her chains to help him but she was unable to get to him. He groaned in pain and Hermione looked away as she knew he was ashamed of his lack of clothing and the fact he was hanging helpless unable to defend himself or her.
"I was hoping he would not get you." Snape rasped. "Of all the people he had to get the most annoying student I have ever had."
"I am not happy to be here either sir." Hermione snapped, "seems the unnamed one has it in for me as well as you."
"He is going for a new werewolf." Snape said, "you know what that means?"
"We have to get out of here." Hermione replied.
"And just how do you plan on that?" Snape snapped, "he took everything from me, and you have no wand."
Before she could respond the door opened and Wormtail entered. Hermione snarled at him and she saw he had her wand in hand. Cold fury went through her as he started to torture Snape with it causing him to scream in pain. She wished she could get out of her chains then she realized she could, though it meant her secret was no longer going to be a secret. She morphed from human to cat form and slipped from her chains, a streak of brown fur ran across the room and the brown tabby turned back to human form and she knocked Wormtail out with her fists, and took her wand back from him. She turned to Snape who had watched all this emotionlessly.
"It's okay sir, I will get you down," Hermione said walking up and steadying his body before she unlocked the chains with her wand.
"Typical Gryffindor stupidity." Snape rasped, "you realize we are going to die here?"
"We have to fight, we have to try to get out of here." Hermione said helping him down, he fell to his knees and remained there and bit back a groan. "You rest first, I will take care of Wormtail sir."
"Just kill him." Snape said, "bastard should not live for what he did."
"We need him alive." Hermione said turning Wormtail to his Animagmus form and putting him in a small drawstring bag. She cast some spells over it before she put it in her satchel still hidden under her cloak. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a towel, at Snape's raised eyebrow. "I keep various things with me sir, just in case I need them, you um need something to cover yourself."
"It's pink Hermione." Snape rasped.
"Well I am a witch sir." She said transfiguring it black. "Can you um cover yourself sir?"
"No, you will have to." Snape said willing himself not to blush. "You should not be here."
"I could not leave you here." She said kneeling by him and looking him in the eye as she carefully put the towel around his waist. "Don't you dare read my mind sir."
"Why not it's a beautiful mind." Snape shot back then added hastily. "I am ah sorry I should not have said that."
"I always knew you thought I was brilliant." Hermione said charming the towel to stay in place. "Can you walk?"
"No, MacNair he used a whip on my feet, it was practical of him really, kept me from escaping when they let me down." Snape said bitterly. "To allow Wormtail to…"
"Lay down, I will tend to them." Hermione said cutting him off as she was sure she did not want to hear just now what Wormtail had done to Snape. "I have lots of things in here."
"I suppose you have the kitchen sink in there then?" Snape said trying for a joke.
"Yes three compartment with a garbage disposal." She shot back.
Before she started to work on his feet she summoned a goblet and bottle of wine she had seen in the corner and she poured him a goblet full and after splinting up and putting back in joint several of his fingers he was able to take the goblet and drink the wine. While he drank Hermione took out a bottle of Essence of Dittany and after washing his feet with water from her wand she began to apply the Dittany and saw the deep gashes heal up. She was not happy they did not heal up as fast as she wanted but when she gave Wormtail's wand to Severus he was able to finish the job. He started to cough harshly and Hermione would have pounded his back but as it was a mass of deep cuts, welts and bruises she could not. Finally he stopped and she helped him to his feet and removed her cloak putting it around his broad shoulders. Though he did not show it Snape was grateful she had thought to cover his embarrassment (that was one word for it) with something before she had done anything else.
"Here take this before we go sir." She said handing him a small vial.
"Strengthening potion, you make this?" Severus asked.
"No actually Harry did, thanks to your book he has become quite good in potions." Hermione said, "if I had known the prince was you I would have studied more from the book."
"He dared use my work." Snape snarled letting her guide him out of the room and down the hall.
"Only because you planted it there for him, you set it up so he would get the book, you knew you would not be teaching potions last year sir. I know you don't much like Harry and he is a dear friend but he really should have treated you with more respect sir." Hermione said then at Snape's glare, "I told him as much, both him and Ron sir."
"I see, so how do you like the prince now?" Snape said quietly holding his wand out as they came to another corridor, they could not go for the stairs as they lead straight to Voldemort.
"I like him very much sir." Hermione said, "you are not so mysterious as you hope to be."
"No I am not, if I had been I would not be here!" Snape said gasping and wheezing for breath. "So bloody weak, Voldemort saw through me in the end."
"It's not your fault sir." Hermione said softly.
"Quiet, someone is coming." Severus said holding up a hand.
Hermione guided him to a spot where he collapsed and try as she might she could not get him up. He lay there wheezing and gasping too weak to move. Hermione could hear someone walking along and she covered Snape as best she could and disillusioned herself and hid nearby. She felt rage boil inside as a man came to view, the hated figure of Lucius Malfoy, tall clad in fine velvet black robes with long pale blond hair. He looked around and Snape forced himself to remain quiet and he felt a thrill of fear as Malfoy looked directly at him. He looked away and Snape knew he had seen him and he watched as Malfoy removed his wand from his cane but did not aim it at him. He turned to aim where he thought Hermione was but missed by a long shot. The next spell came from Hermione and she stunned Lucius slamming him to the wall. She walked over and looked down at the death eater and cast another spell turning his hair bright pink, then she took his cloak and walked over to Severus putting it around his shoulders for added warmth.
"You better hope he never finds out you did that miss Granger." Severus said wheezing as he was helped to his feet, "he will seek his revenge."
"Try and torture me like he tortured you?" Hermione said.
"I am not his enemy even now." Snape said then changed the subject, "if I am correct we are in Riddle manor and there is a way out down one of these corridors."
"Then we better get going, when Malfoy does not turn up more will be sent down sir." Hermione replied. "No chance of Apparating out here is there sir?"
"No, not until you are off the grounds, but the dark lord may know I have escaped and could be toying with us." Snape said bitterly, "you could be an illusion of his."
"Well would an illusion do this…" Hermione put a soft kiss on his cheek, "would an illusion do that?"
"N-no it would not." Snape said looking a bit startled at the action.
"Good now let's get out of here sir." Hermione said.
She used her cat-senses to help them down the corridors, what she did not know and Severus knew only slightly was there was a virtual maze down here. Yet even with the confusion of the corridors Hermione had a feeling she was going the right way as they walked down the cold corridors to freedom. They had walked for some time when Snape could go no further without a rest. Hermione helped him sit and he coughed and looked up at her with pain filled eyes. He felt so weak and he was shamed by that feeling, he looked up at the bushy brown haired girl with brown eyes looking at him with concern. He had never seen such a look from one of his students and he tried to feel anger but was too tried and in pain to do much more that moan in pain. He felt a hand on his shoulder and once more he looked up at Hermione.
"Leave me, you will get away but I cannot make it, too damn weak." Snape gasped.
"You will make it, I will not leave you sir." Hermione replied.
"If the dark lord comes back, he will send his werewolf after us." Snape said, "leave me, save yourself."
"Grayback is dead, who can he get to follow him now?" Hermione asked him.
"He will find one, one who will be rewarded with me." Snape said, "the dark lord sat he would feed me to him one piece at a time, first my fingers, then hands and arms and then feet legs and everything else piece by piece."
"More reason to get you out of here and if you say he would do the same to me I have a little surprise that would take him out along with me." Hermione said giving Severus some water.
"You have muggle weapons?" Snape asked.
"Yes, can you stand?" Hermione asked him.
"Yes, but I don't know how far I can go." Snape replied.
Once more Hermione helped him up and continued on, Snape was not sure how much further he could go when they came out into the waning moon light. Snape gasped as the cooler air hit his bare body and nearly fell, he felt a small but strong hand steady him and keep him on his feet, realized that no matter what happened the insufferable girl was not going to let him go. Hermione helped him over the cropped grass and into the woods around the manor and was able to Apparate with him to the only safe place she could think of. That safe place was of course Grimmauld place and it was really the only safe place that for either of them.
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So there it is, Hermione is an Animagmus here and why not? She is very smart, strong in her magic and with McGonagall's help she could be one. As McGonagall is the only woman Animagmus shown in all the books I felt it was time Hermione was one. I see her as a cat and that is that! Anyway she would keep her head even in appalling situations and help as best she could.
As for Lucius acting the way he is as purely evil well he is not, he has not found any way to free Severus and has to keep his cover. He lives in fear even now as Voldemort is not trusting of anyone. He has not done anything but beat Severus, that is all as I see Lucius as a cold cruel man but not a rapist. Nor do I see him as evil because of how he finally tried to protect his family in DH. He has not found out here how to rescue Severus and he does not know what Wormtail is doing as he does not see Wormtail capable of such evil.
