Rating: M for safety's sake due to some dark events.
Characters: Hermione Granger, Severus Snape, Lord Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy
Pairing: HG/SS alluded
Warnings: Dark!Hermione, vague sexual references, sado-masochism
Author's Note: This is still a WIP, but shall not probably be more than two-three chapters. I simply don't think it has the capability to go any further. It was intended to be just one chapter, but my muse took over and has allowed it to grow a bit. Comments/Reviews are appreciated, whether good or bad, because either can only serve to make any further chapters/stories better. Thanks.
"Hello, Hermione."
With these words, the tension in the room flees and she rushes into his arms, welcomed by his embrace. Her face lifts to his and their lips meet hungrily, bruising each other in their ardor. This is not a gentle kiss of new lovers, all lips and cheek with noses gently bumping in awkward newness, but one with teeth and tongues – the kiss of experience that holds much promise of what is to come.
The kiss breaks off and he tucks her head under his chin, keeping her very close to his heated body. "Gods, I've wanted to do that for so long," he whispers softly.
"As have I." She pulls her head back and looks up to his face, memorizing every curve, line, and wrinkle, noting the plethora of new ones since the last time she saw him. Pulling back from his embrace, she says dryly, "But we do not want to displease our Master. We should get started on the Sleekeasy Potion. He will not appreciate wasted time." Her gaze moves from him to the lab, making a mental map of ingredient placement for future reference.
He coughs gently, clearing his throat. "Yes. We should. If you will collect the necessary ingredients from the shelves, I will get the cauldron and base started." They move efficiently, knowing each other's individual dynamic in the lab and therefore working well around each other. The base solution begins heating while Hermione starts chopping the other ingredients to the precise size and shape needed for this particular potion. As the base reaches a temperature near boiling, Severus reduces the flame underneath to maintain the hard simmer and adds all but the last ingredient, stirring gently as a plume of purple smoke is belched from the hot liquid. The potion is all but complete, needing to simmer for two hours before the final ingredient is added.
Hermione quickly cleans the chopping area as Severus stirs the mixture, setting aside the lavender that will eventually complete the potion. As she replaces the last crock on the shelf, his arms come from behind to grab her, wrapping around her waist and he lays his head against her shoulder, inhaling the scent of the soap she used that morning. He mumbles against her neck, "I have a present for you."
Knowing that she will be unable to take the gift with her, she is excited despite herself. She leans back into his body and nearly purrs, "What is this … gift, Severus?" Her eyes lower and she softly flutters her eyelashes, turning her head slightly to face him.
He spins her around and looks into her eyes, searching for something, though he is not quite sure what. "Oh, nothing much, just a piece of parchment, really. The words on this parchment may make it quite valuable to you, however." He pauses for dramatic effect. "It is nothing more than a letter from Harry."
Her eyes widen and her mouth drops in a delicate "Oh." A letter from Harry! It is exactly what she has been looking for, but is surprised to receive it from Severus. Maybe this letter will hold the information I have been seeking. Please let it tell me what I need to know. She gives Severus a sound kiss on the lips, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and jumping up to wrap her legs around his waist. His arms grip her tightly around the middle, staggering backward a little to regain his balance in the onslaught of her added weight.
"Thank" kiss "You" kiss "Severus" She continues to kiss his face in as many places as she can before pulling back to look into his eyes. "Where is it?" He laughs and lightly slaps her backside, making her slide down to stand on her own feet.
"Impatient. It's over here in a safe place." He crosses the room to a cabinet that holds more potions ingredients. The Dark Lord is such a horrible potion-maker that he never bothers Severus' ingredients stores for fear of causing himself harm by inadvertently mixing the wrong thing together – not that Severus would ever keep such volatile ingredients close enough for accidents of that nature. He reaches into a crock on the topmost shelf, pulling a small rolled parchment out. He tosses it her way, knowing she will catch it. "Here. Just do me a favor and spare me the details. I hear enough from him at our meetings." He sits in a cozy chair by the fire and waits for her to read the missive.
Excited at the prospect of hearing from Harry, she quickly opens the scroll and reads what he's written:
Hermione, I hope this finds you alive. Snape assures me that you are, but we know how Voldemort's temper is, and I fear for your survival every day. There is a small group of us left fighting and we hope to have enough people to make our move soon. It is cold here in the mountains, but we are doing what we can and it's enough for now to know that we will soon reclaim the Wizarding World for the Light. Please do your best to stay safe and wait for us. Also, if you get a chance to speak to Ginny, please let her know we haven't forgotten about her either. Wait for us. Hang in there. We're coming soon. Love, Harry.
It isn't quite what she had expected, but there are clues to his location and the certainty that his numbers are quite small. It will do, she decides. Her face showing her excitement, she looks up and sees Severus sprawled into his chair with his wand sitting on the table beside him. His head is leaning on the back of the chair and his eyes are closed as though he is asleep. She crosses the room and settles into his lap, straddling him as she leans down to kiss him. Her hands run down his arms to his hands as her lips meet his. Their hands entwine and he raises his head to kiss her back hungrily. The kisses intensify and she leads his hands to her back, letting his hands go so they can stroke her back and bottom. She brings her hands back over his head to the back of the chair, gripping it tightly. She begins gyrating her hips against him as he kneads the soft flesh of her buttocks and he leans his head against the back of the chair again.
One of her hands surreptitiously angles toward the table to grab his wand, and she points it at his neck, stopping all other movement. His eyes open quickly, shocked as he feels the tip pressing against his jugular vein. "Hermione? What are you doing?" He sits up straight, replacing his hands on the arms of the chair from her back.
The action of sitting up knocks her from his lap to her feet, but her grip on his wand is tight and it remains pointed at him as she slowly backs away, out of his reach.
She laughs nervously and says "Silencio," effectively stopping his questions. She feels the magic that has been repressed for so long roar back into her veins and her laughter increases in volume. "Oh Severus. You were so easy. Show a little respect, ask for a simple potion, give you a little kiss or two and you melt into submission. It's a wonder you've lasted this long in our Lord's service. But then again, you're not really in his service, are you?" Her eyes are cruel as she taunts him. "Petrificus Totalis!" His body straightens and stiffens, causing him to fall out of his chair. She crouches down beside his prone body and whispers, "I'm sorry Severus, but I must do what I have to in order to survive. I know you will understand this more than the others will. But I must secure my place in this new world. We both know Harry hasn't the heart to win against the Lord Voldemort. He simply cannot kill." She stands back up and invokes her magic again, "Locomotor Corpus." His body lifts off the ground and floats beside her. "Mobilicorpus."
She begins walking out of the lab and motions with her wand for Snape to follow. He floats along behind her, quiet because of her silence charm. They make the trek up the hallways to the main chamber where Voldemort waits.
A/N: Thanks for waiting so patiently for the next chapter. Just one to go. I'll try to get it written and up before next weekend, but no promises.