CHAPTER 8

So the chapter is finally done! Thank you for your support and especially to Liesl Snake, FrancineHibiscus, Marianna79 and Pirocantha who review regularly and keep me going and happy!


The next day - was it really? It was so hard to tell with no clock or light from the outside - was far from being that cheerful. The potions did their work, but the giddy mood that was probably induced by the painkiller never returned. Which was maybe good as well. Still, she felt considerably better than yesterday - she was not sore, thirsty, cold nor sick. And most importantly, there was a small hope that was born the day before when the healer - who was obviously not a healer - came. The simple knowledge that there was someone here willing to help her on his own accord - probably even against the orders - kept her mind occupied to the extend that she did not spare The Pig and his actions any thought in several hours, as she realized with a start.

There will always be enough time for worrying and self-pity, she told herself as she used her new "freedom" to move around the cell and explore every single detail of it. There was a dent in one of the 14 bars on the door to her cell, she counted 6 dark moveable stones on the floor and used two of them to throw out of her cell to discover how far the hall goes in each direction, left and right - hers was probably the one before the last, as the stone thrown on the right side bounced after a few feet, hitting stone and then something iron, likely the bars of the last cell. If the opportunity presented itself, she was to run left out of the door. There was only silence and darkness in the cell facing hers - either it was spelled to look that way or it was empty.

Sighing, she pulled her hands back inside - they fitted through the bars about to her elbows - and went to sit on the mattress, pulling out the cloak she was given from under it first. She decided to keep hiding it as she was sure that any other Death Eater would take it away from her if he discovered it... And she did not want to give The Healer away if it could be identified as his. She covered herself with the dark wool and smelled it again - it still conveyed the original fragrance, the herbs, forest and also a bit of smoke. Was The Healer's job to guard the grounds outside? Maybe he just lived close to the woods or had to travel across it often...

She thought of Hagrid and nearly laughed - no, it was not him, that she could be sure of. But who was it then? She did not even imagine she knew a quarter of all the Death Eaters in Britain, but it would be more logical that someone who chose her - and likely only her out of the many girl in the same situation - knew her from before. He would not destroy his shirt and use all of his potions for a total stranger just by a random choice, right?

Guaranteed, it did not mean that she knew him as well, but it was still much more probable. Pouring a little of her precious water into her cup to sip at slowly, she went through her mental list of the Death Eaters again, but ended up empty-handed once more. Lucius Malfoy was to one to sent her here and even if he felt some remorse, he never went anywhere without his cane... Draco was much smaller than The Healer and Dolohov and Macnair did not have a single tender hair on them. Snape was Voldemort's right hand and about as evil as him - she shivered at the thought of the cold-blooded killer touching her - and Crabbe's and Goyle's fathers were both much fatter and rounder...

Hours after hours went by and she occupied herself with theories, possibilities and plans - the main idea of it all was getting The Healer to help her, Harry and Ron to get out of here, or at least bringing the boys food and potions too for now. She hoped they fared better than her - not being raped at least - and decided that the next time she would simply have to speak to him to at least try to get some information about her friends. And if he runs again, she would try it the next time. The only trouble would be, if he never comes back... She covered herself with the cloak and told herself that it simply will not happen.

She did not know how much time has passed when there was a sudden outburst of noise everywhere, doors creaking, feet stomping, loud laughter and voices echoing throughout the whole building. She startled and quickly folded the cloak to put it under the mattress, hardly managing to tuck it there haphazardly before her door opened with a Death Eater standing in it. She moved away from him as far as she could, inconspicuously trying to tuck back a piece of the cloak that was still sticking out with her hand. She covered herself with her hands and curled in a corner, expecting to be lifted, chained, blindfolded and Silencioed again to be brought to the rape room. But it never happened.

Instead, she was simply thrown against the wall facing the entrance in her cell and bound in the now familiar rape position. So The Pig came here for her again!

"No, please! Please, don't do it! I will do anything, anything else!", she tried to negotiate desperately, pulling at her manacles with all her strength even as blood started to ooze from her wrists. She turned her head as far as she could behind her to see him approaching, not caring about her pleas in the slightest.

"No! Don't! Please I w-", her sentence was cut in the middle as she was put under Silencio and then even her head was turned by a spell to face the wall again when she was hit by Petrificus to stand still.

No! NO! Tears started running down her face as she heard pants and belt hitting the floor - there were still footsteps echoing through the hall, she noticed offhandedly. Someone was watching them probably, adding to her shame as if it wasn't enough! A warm hand stroke her back and something pointy touched her, there was a whisper and she felt oddly... Ugh, wet down there, as if someone filled her with some slime. It couldn't be his, it was too soon for that, if it worked as she thought it did!

True enough, the next minute she felt that hard warm thing pressing against her legs again, demanding entrance which he soon provided for it by spreading her and pushing himself in. She braved herself for the pain, but the agony never came this time... Instead there was an odd feeling of being filled and stretched in all directions - as if she were a human bottle that has been plugged tightly. What a mind image! She must be going crazy!

Even his thrusts were not that painful, just slightly uncomfortable. Was the spell some kind of a lubricating charm? If that even existed... She listened to his backside hitting hers and his disgusting panting and felt like vomiting again - fortunately there was no food nor potions in her stomach any more. So she just cried silently, prayed for it to end and listened to the noises and voices around her - it sounded like there were more rapes going on, one probably in the hallway itself by the sound of it... Although there was a woman's laughter as well - it sounded rather hysterical, but still it was very out-of-place here. Perhaps she was not the only one losing her mind...

Without the pain to deal with, the only thing she could focus on was the wall in front of her eyes, the horrible sounds and her never ending humiliation and shame. Finally there was a groan from him - The Groan, as she learned - and with one last thrust he pushed himself as deep as he could into her and spilled that warm disgusting slime inside of her, shaking and spasming slightly. Disgusting dirty Pig! She really wished he would die at that moment, she thought and the only thing spasming in her was her revolting stomach.

After a while - does he really have to wait with that?! - he pulled out of her, that awful slimy thing sliding along her thigh as it got extracted, leaving a wet trail behind. The goo started leaking out of her already and she never felt that disgusted with her own body before. He dressed himself and then - surprisingly - released her from the spells, leaving her simply chained to the wall.

Her sobs suddenly became audible and she had no strength to stop them, only managing to press her front side to the cold wall to hide herself a bit at least when her hands were useless for that, still bound above her head. She pressed her forehead against the cool stone and squeezed her eyes shut as if her not seeing the world could actually hide her from everyone else.

"Good job, everyone! I see you all know what to do with a horny bitch!", it was Voldemort's voice from only a few steps away. But she won't look! She won't see The Pig and him both gloating and laughing at her!

"Now I have no more pressing need for your service, feel free to retire to your homes, the guards will take the care for the whores from your hands now..."

The Pig neared to her again as Voldemort spoke and his "Stupefy" was the last she heard before her lids closed.


She stretched in pleasure as her warm, comfortable bed pleaded with her to stay sleeping just a little bit longer. She obeyed without much hesitation, snuggling against her blanket. Wait, why was she sleeping naked? Her eyes opened and she sat up with a start. No! The cell! She was still here, playing the little Death Eater incubating toy. But it felt so different! The Healer must have been here and she slept through it!

Merlin! It was much warmer - not even the floor would feel cold against her feet anymore - and brighter. Brighter? She quickly found the source of the light - there was a magical window above her head! Now she could see that it was day outside! That and a nice bit of forest and a lake.

Someone - The Healer! - also had to put a Cushioning charm on her mattress; now it was entirely comfortable and soft. And he also washed her, she realized with a blush... And there were three things for her next to her bed - she now felt alright with saying it was a bed - a jar with a bluish salve, a huge food tray and a small book.

Although she was rather hungry, she was still Hermione Granger - no matter how they called her here - so she went for the book first. It was hazel brown and small enough to be held comfortably in one hand, the cover was decorated by small and rather cute moving pictures of various owls. She opened it and a simple cheap Muggle pen fell into her lap. What?

She supposed she would never see any of those ever in her life! Staring at the pen and the opened book, she discovered it was not a book - it was a diary! An empty, brand new diary and a pen. Obviously meant for her to have and use. Thank you, Healer!, she thought smiling.

Of course, it could be a trap - she could use no magic to hide her writing or the diary itself, so it could be use against her, if it got into wrong hands... On the other hand, no one was forcing her to spill her heart out and write her most secret thoughts and plans - if she is reasonable, the diary could be used as a notebook for anything that couldn't be used against her or her friends, keeping her occupied and sane... She could start writing poetry!

With a big smile, she put the diary and the pen on her bed and got up to explore the food tray. She lifted the heavy iron lid and gasped, nearly dropping it back - she expected something simple to keep her alive, but this assortment of food looked as if she was imprisoned by Dobby himself. There were several plates of full dishes, all under a Stasis and a Warming Charms, that emitted wonderful smells; she could see mashed potatoes with chicken, Shepard's pie, beef stew, vegetable salad with goat cheese, a kidney pudding... It was like someone took half of a Hogwarts feast table and brought it here! There was even a bottle of pumpkin juice and a flask of coffee!

She grabbed the coffee like the addict she was and poured a cup for herself, a fresh roll in her other hand. This was her first breakfast to bed in years, she mussed and sat comfortably on the mattress while she was enjoying her food.

Still chewing, she looked at the last thing that appeared by her bedside this morning - it was a jar of Bruise Salve. She knew without smelling it - it was written on it's label and the inscription draw her attention like a flame in the darkness... She froze - she knew that writing, she had seen it a hundred times, red and angry all all over her essays! That Salve was labeled and likely also brewed by Snape!

She dropped her now empty cup, her breathing quick and shallow, and observed everything once more. After a second, all fell into place, making a big clang in her brain. The window - same view and type as at Hogwarts, but so few people bothered to learn magic like that as it was demanding and complicated; unless you spent most of your time in dungeons and were currently a headmaster of an ancient magical building. The food was clearly taken from Hogwarts' kitchens and she had never seen anyone else being able to effortlessly cast and keep so many Stasis Charms at once; sometimes as many as on twenty cauldrons with a single flick of his wand. And no one sane would risk his wrath by stealing a simple Bruise Salve from his stores. No one. The Healer WAS Severus Snape.

She closed her eyes and recalled the memory of him feeding her the potions - all in unlabeled bottles. Of course he would not label them for himself when he could recognize them by a glance. He probably carried the basic potions with him at all times, paranoid as he was... And his hands, they were not dirty from outside or her blood, but stained from potions...

She paled - Snape had seen her naked! And he touched her naked! He was about as disgusted as she was, she guessed when she remembered his reluctant actions... And that long stare...

That stare! Snape could do Legilimency! That was what she was feeling, he was reading her mind! But Harry always complained how much that hurt and gave him headaches while she barely felt it... Perhaps there were different kinds of it? She worried about what he might have seen... But he was a member of The Order and Harry and Ron were already captured, so she fervently hoped that there was not much he could discover in the few moments he had for it...

However, the most confusing of all the questions was the "why" one. Why would Snape help her? Why would he keep her alive and healthy, warm, fed and even provide a certain kind of entertainment by his gifts? She was rather sure he was not ordered to do so as his behavior told her. Of course, it could be an elaborate trap to gain her trust, but it would be MUCH easier for her to trust someone she did not share such a bad history with... Snape was about as unlikely to get her friendship as Voldemort - she knew what he did, traitor!

But he was helping her and he had to have a reason. And if she were honest with herself, he HAD helped them in the past, sometimes even at his own risk... It was possible that Dumbledore ordered him to, but then there were times when even the Headmaster didn't know what was happening and Snape still came to help - like when he was trying to save Harry from falling off his broom and she set him on fire, she remembered with a blush. Or in their third year when he put himself in between them and a werewolf... And when they left for the Ministry to rescue Sirius, it was Snape who alerted The Order. She did not know what he was offered to betray them, but maybe he still felt responsible for his students in a way... Or there was an oath of some kind that he could not break.

Be it as it may, there was a reason and she could surely use it somehow - to get him to help Harry and Ron too, preferably. She simply had to find a way to get out of here and away from The Pig - even if it was with help from Snape!


Severus and his side of the story can be expected in a few days :-)