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A Snape/Hermione fic.

Chapter Ten.

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Disclaimer: See Ch. 1.

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A/N: Sorry for the overly long wait ... that virus on my computer really eff-ed me up, and that I had to get back in the swing of writing fanfics ... but I'm back! Hopefully I'll be able to update this consistently until It's finished ... fingers crossed ...

Anywhoo, no reason to drag out the author's note.

Hope you guys are still enjoying this fic, and thank you so much for your patience!

As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!

It was well past visiting hours at Akbaban, but Snape had pull with a few of the wizard personnel who worked there, so he had no trouble getting in. He had sketched the faces that he'd seen on a simple piece of parchment - not that he needed to, their images were imprinted in his memory - and closed himself into the records room to attempt to match their faces to an inmate. Many Death Eaters were rounded up and imprisoned after Voldemort's defeat, but Snape knew that not all of them had. Some went into hiding, some managed to provide "proof" that they had been under the Imperius Curse, and as such avoided incarceration.

A part of him hoped that they weren't in Azkaban, as he looked forward to hunting them down and capturing them himself, but he needed somewhere to start, and this was it.

He had been flipping through "mug shots" for over an hour, and was beginning to think neither one of them had been captured, when he turned one more page and saw one of the faces screaming back at him. He skimmed through his arrest report, finding that he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban for being discovered to be a Death Eater while torturing muggles with magic, but there was no accomplices listed, so Snape took down the information about where he was being kept, and continued flipping through the pictures with a renewed sense of vengeance.

After another hour and a half he finished the files on current and previous male inmates, and he hadn't been able to find the second face. Pushing back his disappointment, he focused his furious calm on the one he had found, and made his way back to the main office to turn in his wand before making his way to the man's cell. Even if it hadn't been a rule for visitor's, he wouldn't have wanted it with him. If the man needed any convincing to tell Snape what he wanted to know, Snape wanted it to be slow and painful ... and very physical.

Hermione chatted briefly with Ron as they made their way to the Three Broomsticks. He asked her how she and Samantha were settling in, and asked her about her classes. She didn't mind answering these questions, but it was always awkward when Ron asked her if she was seeing anyone. Ron had had his girlfriends here and there, but he always came back to Hermione. He seemed to think that they were still right for each other, even though she'd turned down his offer of marriage.

He was one of her dearest friends, but she just didn't see him that way. She always felt like she was crushing him when she told him she didn't have the time or energy for silly things like dating, and that her whole world was Samantha. It was easier than telling him - as she had done before - that she just wasn't interested in him.

He changed the subject to his role as Keeper for the Chudley Cannons, and Hermione was grateful for the reprieve. She promised she'd try to come and see him play, but honestly informed him that she didn't know when she'd get the time off.

They finally reached Hogsmeade and made their way into the pub to meet their friends. Harry and Ginny waved them over with smiles on their faces, on Hermione sat next to Ginny, taking up enough room that Ron had to sit beside Harry in the round booth.

She saw Harry and Ginny a lot more frequently than she saw Ron, but it was nice to see everyone together again. The boys ordered Firewhisky, but Hermione - remembering her experience with it not too long ago - opted for simple pumpkin juice, and Ginny did the same, ever-mindful of the life growing inside of her.

They chatted back and forth about random things, laughing like they used to. They talked about Ginny's hormones and Ron's successes and failures. They talked about Hermione's classes, and what it was like to be back at Hogwarts. Harry admitted that he missed it, and wouldn't mind teaching if he didn't enjoy being an Auror so much. Ginny, of course, hated having to be on maternity leave. She too enjoyed being an Auror, but knew better than to risk her baby's life with the risks the job entailed. She expressed her wish that the baby would hurry up and be born so she could get back to work.

Hermione informed her that she might think differently when the baby was born, which drew the conversation to Samantha.

Ginny brought up the fact that Samantha was so enamored with Snape, and Ron's ears flushed red.

"Wait, Samantha actually likes him?" he wanted to know, shocked to his core.

Hermione sighed, sipping her juice. "He's not so bad, Ronald. Now that we're colleagues, he's much more tolerable. Almost friendly." She opted not to tell them about his constant need to stick his nose where it didn't belong, and as such, the fact that he had seen everything that had happened to her. Not even her friends knew the entirety of what had happened that night ... Hermione had told them she'd been knocked out halfway through the ordeal, wanting to spare them the pity and/or rage that would follow. They'd been furious enough as it was, but the thought that she'd been fortunate enough to have passed out had offered them solace.

"I'll never believe it," Ron continued. "Snape's always been a bastard."

Hermione glared at him. "You're only remembering the bad parts about him, Ronald. You don't know him like I do."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Still defending the git ... some things will never change."

Hermione wondered when she'd become so defensive of Snape, but Ron was right that she'd always done so in school. But that was because of the fact that Dumbledore had sworn his allegiance to the Light, and she trusted Dumbledore. Now, she knew Snape on a slightly more personal level ... and her opinion of him had still not changed. He was more brave than Ron would ever give him credit for. She told herself that was the only reason she had for defending him so.

Sighing, she changed the subject to Crookshanks, who was coming home at last. Hermione had wanted the new place to be familiar to them before Crookshanks came back from Harry and Ginny's. She hoped he would like his new home, and Harry joked about setting him loose on Mrs Norris.

Snape arrived at the cell he was looking for and opened it with the key he'd retrieved from the office. He slid it around his neck once the door was unlocked, tucking it into his robes so that the inmate couldn't pick his pocket and make a break for it. Snape snorted at the thought, knowing there was little chance of that happening, but it was the rules of visiting any inmate at Azkaban.

He entered the dark cell, seeing the scrawny man inside make a strangled leap for the door, and waiting until the last second to slam it closed, dashing his hopes for freedom.

"Please!" the man whimpered, clawing at Snape's clothes. "Please, I've been punished enough! I see all the bad I've done now! Please, let me out!"

Snape pulled his robes away, kicking the pathetic creature away from him with more force than necessary. He ended up sprawled against the opposite wall, struggling for breath.

"You're going to tell me what I want to know, and if you don't, the dementors will be the least of your problems," Snape spoke evenly, glaring down at one of the two men who had raped his colleague. That's all she is to you ... a colleague.

The man trembled, but didn't say anything.

"Four years ago in muggle London, you and another wizard raped a young girl named Hermione Granger. You will be made to pay for this crime - this is non-negotiable - but if you wish to ever see the outside world again, you will tell me the name of the other man who was with you." He had no intentions of letting the man ever see the light of day, but he had no qualms about lying to get the information he sought.

The inmate's eyes widened, shaking his head. "I can't tell you ... anything but that, please!"

Snape shook his head, sliding off his cloak and rolling up his sleeves.

"He'll kill me! I can't tell you!" the man insisted, cowering in the corner.

Snape sighed, advancing on the small man. "This will take as long as you make it ... but you will tell me his name."

Ron had offered to walk Hermione back to the school, but she declined his offer, still upset that his opinion of the Potions professor hadn't changed. Plus, she wanted some time to herself ... she didn't get much of it anymore. The cool, night air wrapped around her while she walked, and she enjoyed the smell of the magical world ... so different than living in muggle cities. Everything was so crisp and tangible.

She had reached the outskirts of Hogwarts' grounds when she heard the telltale pop of an apparition behind her, and immediately whipped around, drawing her wand.

"I would appreciate if you didn't attempt to curse me into oblivious, Miss Granger," that silky voice drawled, and Hermione lowered her wand.

"Back to Miss again, are we, Professor Snape?" she asked him.

He slid into step beside her, walking towards the castle. "A slip of the tongue," he assured her, his calm exterior covering his inner conflict.

"So, where have you been tonight?" Hermione wondered, remembering him heading in the direction of his rooms before she'd put Samantha to bed.

Snape chose his words carefully. "Attending to a personal matter. And yourself? Where are you coming from?"

Hermione answered, "Visiting with friends in Hogsmeade. Harry, Ginny and Ron ... we try to get together at least once a month."

Snape nodded, not truly interested in the on-goings of the Potters or the Weasleys.

They made their way to the castle in comfortable silence - on Hermione's end at least - and when they finally arrived at the school, Snape was itching to get away from Hermione. He needed to think ... plan.

"Are you alright, Professor?" Hermione found herself asking. "You're quieter than usual ..."

Snape glanced away, absentmindedly adjusting his cloak. "I'm just -" He didn't get to finish as Hermione interrupted him.

"Your hand!" she exclaimed, pulling it towards her.

"Miss Granger -" he began, trying to pull his hand away, but she was as strong as she was stubborn.

"What happened?" she wanted to know, examining the cuts and bruises, and now that it was light and she was very close to him, she could see what looked like blood splashed on his cloak. It was hard to tell though, because it was mostly black.

He finally pulled his hand free, wiping it on the fabric of his cloak. "It's nothing."

Hermione got in his way as he tried to move past her. "Don't "it's nothing" me, I know what these marks are from ... Harry and Ron have been in enough fist-fights for me to know. Who were you hitting?"

Snape didn't answer, moving around her finally and heading to his quarters. Hermione followed him purposefully, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach that wouldn't go away.

He knew she'd followed him to his rooms, and thought about trying to deny her entrance, but he figured she'd just stand outside his rooms, pounding on the door and hollering for her to let him in, so he stood aside, allowing her to enter first.

He expected her to round in on him the second the door was closed, but instead she slid out of her cloak and asked whether he had a first-aid kit.

Snape nodded that he did, pointing to the cupboard where it resided. He hadn't had to use it for a few years, as his spy days were over, but he still kept it around out of habit. There were both muggle and magical forms of anti-septic, and Snape pointed out one that he'd made himself. She instructed him to remove his outer cloak, and saw him about to protest. She shut him up with a glare that he could be proud of, and grabbed a clean cloth out of a hamper the house elves had left out for him.

After soaking it with hot water she returned to the table where he sat, pulling a chair around to sit in front of him and suggested he place his hands on the table so she could disinfect them.

He told her he was more than capable of cleaning up his own "mess", but she ignored him, wiping away the blood and feeling his muscles tighten as the hot cloth stung his hand.

"Exactly what "personal matters" were you attending to, Professor?" Hermione asked him, continuing to use his title to remind her of who she was dealing with.

She began to apply the anti-septic, making him pause before answering.

"The fact that it was personal makes it my business, Professor Granger," he replied.

Hermione met his eyes. "Then look me in the eyes and tell me it had nothing to do with me."

Snape blinked and hesitated a fraction of a second before replying smoothly, "It had nothing to do with you."

Hermione sighed, returning her attentions to his other hand. "You know, I may not be a skilled Legimens like you, but I do know when someone is lying to me."

She finished her work in silence, bandaging his hands when she was done and clearing away her mess. "You'll want to see Madam Pomfrey if you'd like it to heal faster," she informed him.

He nodded, expecting her to take her leave, but she merely stood in his kitchen with her arms cross, staring at him impatiently.

"I'm waiting," she told him.

He sighed, and after a moment led her into the sitting room so they'd be more comfortable.

She sat down, expecting him to sit beside her, but he chose a chair across from her instead. After a minute of silence, she said, "Okay, let's have it. What was this all about?" She was pretty sure she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear from him ... almost as much as she didn't want to know.

He leaned his elbows on the arms of the chair, bringing his fingertips together as he contemplated where to begin. "I visited Azkaban tonight," he began.

Hermione nodded, flaring her nostrils. "And ...?"

Snape looked into her eyes from where he sat. "And one of the men who raped you is an inmate there."

Hermione shut her eyes, feeling her heart thudding in her chest. It was several seconds before she reminded herself to breathe, and she exhaled in a rush of air.

"He has a life sentence, he won't be getting out," Snape told her.

Hermione nodded, looking at the ground. "Okay ... so he's already paying for what he did. End of story."

Snape shook his head. "I'm not finished."

A part of her wanted him to stop talking ... she didn't want to know any more. But she had made him talk in the first place, so she stuck it out.

"I ... interrogated the inmate about the identity of the other man who was with him the night of the ... the night of your birthday, and after some time, he told me that the other man is also at Azkaban."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. They were both behind bars, she didn't have to deal with it. She could pretend as though it never happened.

"Okay ... so they're both imprisoned," she stated breathily.

Snape shook his head. "The second man is not an inmate."

Hermione glanced up at him. "What do you mean? How can he be there if he's not a prisoner?"

Snape held her gaze. "He is a member of the wizard staff employed at Azkaban. He works there."

End of chapter ten.

Again, sorry for the uber-long wait, but I hope it was worth it.

Flame if you must, but constructive criticism is more appreciated.

Until next time ...!