Chapter 8: And When You Think Things Couldn't Get Worse, They Do
Severus could have killed something with his bare hands, especially if that something was Lucius Malfoy. If it were possible for anyone to be worse than Voldemort, Lucius would take the prize for being that someone.
Hermione really didn't deserve this. Severus almost wished that he hadn't come across Hermione in the Leaky Cauldron. He really couldn't do anything to help her, and though it was selfish on his part, he'd rather not have to witness her suffering and know that by ignoring her attraction to him he was only hurting her more. Yes, it would have been far better if he'd never learned of Lucius's curse on Hermione. If that were the case, he wouldn't be thinking about her now.
As he prepared for his fifth year class, he hoped the potion did something to help her. He didn't let himself consider what would happen if it didn't.
Hermione sat next to Harry and Ron in the Charms classroom, trying her damnedest to ignore the building sickness in her stomach. Maybe, just maybe, if she didn't think about it, it would go away. She really couldn't afford to miss class. Taking a slow, deep breath, she willed herself to feel better. The potion had to work, and it wouldn't be able to do that if she suddenly vomited it all up on the front table of the Charms classroom.
It had been nearly an hour since she'd taken the potion and she'd had a light breakfast of toast and water. Though she wasn't noticing any appreciable difference in her condition she still had hope that it would take at least an hour for the potion to work through her body, especially given the intensity of Lucius's spell. Potions weren't exactly like spells, it sometimes took time for their effects to fully manifest.
If the potion didn't work at all, Hermione was dangerously afraid that she'd have some sort of nervous breakdown. Wouldn't it be fun if everyone in the school saw her go crazy? She would have thought that after more than three solid days of this, she would become somewhat dulled to the constant barrage of pain between her legs. But of course it was probably the nature of the curse to ensure that as long as she avoided Lucius she'd never have a moment's peace. It was enough to make someone of lesser strength scream in frustration and pain.
Going to Lucius was the last thing she was going to do. She was a Gryffindor, and it was to her advantage that he'd underestimated her willpower to resist him. But truly, how much more of this constant torture could she take? Everyone had their breaking point. How long would it be before she reached hers?
"Miss Granger, perhaps you can answer the question?"
Professor Flitwick's voice. Oh shit. Hermione hadn't been aware of how long she'd not been paying attention to the class. She was acutely aware of the entire class including the Professor waiting for her to speak.
She'd copied Harry's homework, but she hadn't even read what she was copying. And here she was supposed to be the smartest which at her school. Apparently that was debatable.
"Can you repeat the question?" she asked.
"What's the difference between the spell used to call water and the spell used to create water from ice? We'll be practising the two in class today."
Hermione swallowed.
"Isn't it the same spell?" she asked. She really thought it was too. The incantations were certainly the same.
"Not quite, Miss Granger. The words are the pronounced the same way, yes, but the wand movements are subtly different. When calling water, you must make a small and quick clockwise rotation of your wand, when turning ice into water you must make a short up and down motion with your wrist."
Hermione only stared. She really, really should have known that. And she bet money that if she hadn't been under Lucius's spell she would have had no problem answering the question, because she would have actually done the reading.
She heard some people muttering in astonishment that for once there was a question that she didn't know the answer to. She didn't care.
"Are you all right?" Professor Flitwick asked.
"I've been really ill lately, Professor."
"You may leave to go to the hospital wing, if you like."
"Thanks."
Hermione had no desire to stay in a class that she was so obviously not prepared for. As she gathered her things to leave, Harry shot her an uneasy look. She forced herself to give him her best smile.
"I'll be fine," she whispered. "I'm just going back to Gryffindor Tower."
Unfortunately, once Hermione was in the corridor walking in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, her stomach had other ideas. It seemed that no matter how much she wished otherwise, she was going to be unable to hold down Snape's potion.
She hurried to the nearest toilette. She spent the next fifteen minutes vomiting. Once her stomach was finally settled she broke down in tears. She couldn't help it. Her one hope of getting relief was just flushed down the toilette. Literally.
Trembling and very afraid, more afraid than she'd ever been, Hermione washed her mouth out and looked at her reflection. She could leave Hogwarts, but what good would that really do? She doubted that distance from Lucius would do anything to alleviate the effects of his spell. She could be in Antarctica and she'd still feel as bad as she did now.
Hermione splashed some water on her face and leaned against the sink. She looked terrible. People really were going to start wondering about her. Maybe she'd try to get some more sleep, not that she thought there was even the smallest chance of her actually sleeping while in her current mental state.
Hermione picked up her bag and ventured back into the corridor. As soon as she turned down the corridor, she immediately regretted her decision. Lucius Malfoy in all his wealth and splendor stood handsomely against the wall. He was much too close for her to attempt to draw her wand. If she tried she had no doubt he would break her wrist. Now if she'd been holding her wand on her way out of the Girl's Toilette, that might have been a different story. She hadn't imagined him to be waiting for her. He smiled slowly and closed the small amount of space between them. Hermione took several steps backward in agonizing horror, knowing that the action was futile but not being able to do anything else.
Her heart was slamming in her chest and as he stepped forward she knew she couldn't escape. Why couldn't there be someone in the corridor?
"Hullo, Hermione," Lucius said smoothly, laying his right hand firmly on her shoulder. "Let's take a walk, shall we?"
He spun her around and pushed her down the hall and into an empty classroom. Lucius summarily closed and locked the door with a flick of his wand. Hermione didn't even try to put distance between herself and Lucius. There really was no point. She had no grand delusions that she could somehow draw her wand and curse him before he could overpower her. Besides, a part of her, one that she really didn't want to admit to, didn't want to escape from him.
Lucius relieved Hermione of her bag with her wand and set it far enough away that she couldn't easily get her hands on it. Hermione leaned against a wall and met Lucius's coldly beautiful gaze.
Gods, but he was an extremely attractive man. She tried to force herself to see past the beauty of his body, but it was nearly impossible not to think about how aristocratically handsome he was. He mesmerized her, and though a part of her was still rational enough to know that it was mostly because of the curse, it didn't change the fact that part of her attraction to him had absolutely nothing to do with the spell he placed on her. And that was something they both knew.
Lucius approached her, giving her a questioning look.
"I do believe you've been avoiding me," he told her, stopping less than a foot away.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I have a tendency to avoid people who curse me with Dark Magic."
Hermione's mouth was dry and her voice wasn't nearly as strong as she would have liked. She flinched violently when Lucius ran the back of his hand down her cheek. Lucius laughed softly. The sound did really bad things to the lower part of Hermione's stomach. Heat suffused her body and it was all Hermione could do not to lean into Lucius's touch. Her body wanted to so badly, but her mind still rebelled enough to keep herself from submitting to him fully. Lucius sensed her defiance. He took his hand away and locked gazes with Hermione. The look in his eyes wasn't one that any woman wanted to ever see on a man's face. For a few seconds, Hermione truly thought he was going to backhand her and she braced herself for the blow.
"How long has it been? Nearly four days? I daresay most women would have opened their legs for me by now."
"Well, I'm not like most women, Mr. Malfoy."
Lucius snorted.
"Evidently not. Are you quite sure you like men?"
Hermione stared at him, vulnerable and afraid. She would have liked not to let him see her fear, but it was impossible for her to hide it in her current situation.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
Lucius smiled. It was not a nice smile.
"That's for me to know and you to wonder."
"Go to Hell."
"You certainly have that Gryffindor spirit don't you? If nothing else, I'm sure that will make fucking you all the more exciting."
"You mean raping me?"
Lucius gave her a pointed look.
"It wouldn't exactly be rape, would it, Hermione?"
"Sorry to disagree with you, but in my opinion it really would."
Lucius's lips quirked up in a sinful and totally sexual half-smile.
"You know I was under the impression that for intercourse to be rape it had to be non-consensual. You would want it and you would enjoy it."
Lucius touched Hermione's left hip, trailing his fingers up and down while watching her reaction intently. To her credit, she made no sound, though every muscle in her body was taut with restrained desire.
"Submit to me now," Lucius breathed in her ear, he gave the edge of her ear a little nip with his teeth to emphasize his demand. Hermione amazed herself at being able to find the strength to refuse him.
"Not. Yet. Malfoy."
"No? How about now?"
Lucius changed the position of his hand so that it now trailed along the inside of her thigh. Her body shuddered involuntarily at his touch. Still, she gave no encouraging response.
"You're beginning to try my patience."
Hermione stiffened even more, her body trembling, as Lucius's hand found the spot where her leg met her body. He pinched the soft skin of the highest part of her inner thigh and then intimately cupped his palm around the wet heat between her legs. Hermione wondered what the use of resisting him now really was.
"I can give you either mind blowing pleasure or the most exquisite pain. You get to decide."
Hermione closed her eyes, wondering if she could remain sane while he played his hand over the most intimate part of her body. Her body screamed for orgasmic release and her mind held onto its resistance by only the thinnest of threads.
"Do you have idea how close you are to coming for me?" Lucius asked her softly.
Yeah, she thought she had an idea.
"I won't get pleasure from you."
"Your willpower impresses me," he told her, withdrawing his hand. "But we both know it's not nearly as strong as you're letting on. I should make you orgasm just to prove my point. But if I leave you now, without showing you just how wanton I can make you, I guarantee you'll be begging me to take you by the end of the week. For some reason I honestly can't fathom, you're not ready to fully submit to me."
Hermione stared at him with open hatred. Lucius merely smiled.
"It won't be long before I see you again," he said.
"Get away from me," she told him. Her voice was shaking as much as her body.
Lucius seized her shoulder.
"Remember what I told you, Hermione. The longer I have to wait, the more impatient I become. You don't want to cross me. You won't like the consequences."
And with that he turned and left.
Hermione waited in the empty classroom for over ten minutes before mustering up the courage to get back to Gryffindor Tower.
How had Lucius known where she was? She could only assume he knew where she was because of the curse. It was obviously an effect she hadn't known about. What scared her the most though was that if Lucius could somehow sense where she was, did he know that she'd gone to see Professor Snape?
If he did, it was dangerous information for him to have. If he knew she'd talked to Severus, he'd know the truth about his loyalty.
She had to go see her Potions Professor again. He didn't want to see her, but she was willing to bet he might change his mind when she delivered her warning. What would happen if Lucius did know, she didn't want to think about.
Instead of going to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione headed towards the Potions classroom. Classes would be ending in about ten minutes. Hermione only hoped that she would have time to explain herself before the next class started.
A/N: Another chapter in about a week.
