Chapter 10

HPOV

When I awoke the next morning a gentle sunlight was pouring through the window, and I was in my own room. I felt a bizarre pang of disappointment when I realized that I had not woken up beside him. I pushed it from my mind immediately. That was stupid. Of course he put me back in my own room. He probably wanted to be done with me as quickly as possible. I tried not to be disappointed. It was my first time. Surely he had been with more experienced women who would have been... well... better.

I had done the best I could I terms of my appearance, but I was never one to lie to myself. I knew that I was lacking the style and figure that men preferred. Still, I had been half tempted to believe him last night when he told me that I was beautiful. I had never known him to give praise where it was not due, except maybe to his Slytherins. Maybe I fell into that category now. I was his possession and therefore similar to a student in his house. That didn't quite ring true with me, but I let it go for now.

I rolled over to get out of bed and winced at the ache between my legs. Ouch. I was surprisingly sore. I'd been caught up in the pleasure of it last night, but this was not pleasurable at all. I reached for my wand to cast a healing charm and instead found a note and two vials on my nightstand. The first was my blood from last night. The second appeared to be a cream. I read the note.

Miss Granger,

You may be sore this morning. Rub the cream into your skin to help relieve the ache. Do not attempt a healing spell as you'll likely repair your hymen in the process making tonight more difficult.

Oh. Well that was thoughtful of him. I awkwardly spread my legs and did as he suggested, rubbing the cream on my upper thighs. I assumed that it was also supposed to be used where the real ache was, otherwise he wouldn't have given me this particular variety. I warmed it in my hands before applying it, but it still felt cold. I flushed with embarrassment. I felt like an idiot. It worked right away though, and I was grateful that I was able to walk comfortably.

I showered and dressed, trying not to worry about what the rest of the day would bring. I met Tink in the kitchen, but she informed me that Severus had already eaten and was brewing. At first I wondered if he'd gotten up early to avoid me, but then I realized it was I who had overslept. I ate quickly and rushed down to the lab. I was already behind.

"Good morning, Miss Granger," he said, not looking up from his cauldron. "I trust that you managed to find the pain reliever that I left you this time."

"Yes, Sir."

"Did you eat? Don't lie to me."

"Half an omelet and a slice of toast." I hadn't really thought about it while I was eating, but that was considerably more breakfast than I'd eaten in days.

He looked at me as if judging my honesty and then nodded. He slid a work sheet across the table. "Brew those, please." I got to work.

We worked comfortably to the classical music that I'd come to associate with his lab. I had expected some level of awkwardness, but as usual he was his ever-professional self. I often forgot that working with adults was so much easier than working with students my own age. His maturity level was just so much higher than Harry and Ron's.

"Miss Granger?" I looked up from my potion. I was just entering the cooling stage anyway. "I received news today that might ultimately impact you. I thought you had a right to know."

"What is it, Sir?"

"As you know, tonight you and I will be entertaining the Dark Lord. Two members of the Order are planning to enter the Dark Lord's stronghold during that time with the hopes of either rescuing or getting better intelligence concerning Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. They plan to use polyjuice potion and blend in as Death Eaters, but of course there is always the chance that their cover may be blown. I am telling you this because I do not want you to accidentally call them out."

"I appreciate that, Sir. Is there anything I can do to help their efforts?"

"Your job, Miss Granger, is to provide an entertaining show. I have promised them that I will afford them as much time as I am able. We are the distraction, as it were."

"I understand, Sir. I'll do whatever you think is best."

"You'll do fine," he said, in a way that was almost reassuring. "I'm not going to tell you what I plan to do however, I would prefer to have the element of surprise in my favor."

I jarred the finished potion and started the next. "What would you say the odds are, Sir?" I asked.

"Odds of what?"

"Of getting Harry and Ron out of there?"

He sighed. "I don't know. Not good enough, but no one had a better plan."

I nodded. At least he wasn't trying to coddle me about it. I could tell that the plan hadn't been his idea. Of course, if it were up to him, Harry and Ron could probably rot in there.

"Will you tell me who the two members of the Order are?"

"No. I will not."

Well that put an end to that line of questioning. I went back to my silent brewing. A while later, we took a break for lunch. I was surprisingly hungry despite the breakfast I had eaten and the nervousness I was feeling about this evening. I ate a whole bowl of soup and half a sandwich. The professor nodded his approval.

We worked together in the library until dinnertime. I found that my appetite was one again lost however, so I picked at my food, and tried not to over think what would happen tonight.

"If you're not going to eat, you might as well go get ready," he said bringing me out of my thoughts. I pushed away from the table. "Braid your hair. It needs to be out of the way. I don't want to risk it getting caught in anything."

I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that so I just nodded and went to do as he had requested. I showered again although I wasn't sure why. I just felt like it was the right thing to do. Tink came in as I was leaving the shower and helped me to plait my hair into two long braids. I hadn't had pigtails since third year, and I felt a little silly, but I thought it looked okay.

"Tink, how do you think I should dress?" I asked.

"Master says not to dress Miss."

"What?" I asked.

"He says 'bring her to me naked'."

SPOV

After dinner I went to make my preparations. I had much of the evening carefully scripted. That was not to say that my script would not be changed, but it was better to have too much planned and not use it, than to be at a loss for ideas.

I went down to the locked room across from the lab. Miss Granger had yet to see this room, and if I had anything to say about it, she never would. There were some things that my former students just didn't need to know about me. I pushed the door open and entered my playroom. I hadn't had a submissive in here in months, and my encounter with Miss Granger last night reminded me that it had been too long. Ah well, the Dominate in me would get some exercise tonight like it or not.

I was waiting for her in the kitchen when she came down the hall. She had a terrycloth bathrobe wrapped around her like a security blanket. Her eyes were wide with fear, but her hair was out of the way like I'd asked. Her color was still okay. It didn't look like she was going to pass out. I was glad that I'd made her eat earlier in the day. She hadn't noticed the small amount of hunger potion that I'd added to her first two meals. I'd let her pick her way through dinner, because I thought that the odds were good that she would throw it all up at some point tonight anyway.

"Sir," she said politely.

"Miss Granger, please drink this," I handed her a potion. She uncorked and sniffed it.

"It's a pain potion."

"Yes. A mild one. I think the odds are good that you will experience some pain tonight. This will help to reduce it, although not eliminate it all together." She tipped the vial back and swallowed.

I produced a black leather collar from the pocket of my robes. "Miss Granger, tonight you are going to act the part that the Dark Lord has wanted to see you in from the moment he gifted you to me. I'm going to make you my slave." She swallowed hard and looked at the collar in my hand. I stepped forward and fastened it around her neck. She looked uncomfortable in it, but at least she wasn't whining. I had to give her some credit. She was actually quite mature.

I untied the belt at her waist and pushed the robe back off of her shoulders letting it fall to the floor carelessly. She shivered a little as the cool air hit her naked skin, but still she didn't protest. "Wrists," I said, giving her a gentle command. She held her arms out in front of her, and I fastened an identical black leather cuff to each wrist. I then bound her wrists together with a short chain. I released her wrists and took a good look at her. I tried to will away the erection that was forming of its own accord. She looked incredibly hot wearing nothing but my collar. I was sure to enjoy this much more than she would.

I took the last item out of my pocket. It was a thin black leash that I clipped to the D ring on her collar: the true mark of a slave. I stepped forward, one hand on her neck, the other on her naked hip and Apparated us to the stronghold.

"Get on your knees, Miss Granger," I growled so that only she could hear me. "And, from this point forward don't believe anything I say."