-=I don't own any character or situation related to the canon representation, nor do I make money off this."
Glimmer
Lust
Severus once again remove all trace of her accustomed disguise. "Come here Hermione." His words came out in a low rumble. He pulled her into his lap. "Remember before when I said you needed to trust me, I absolutely need your assurances that you will do as I say, and understand that I have sufficient reason to invoke your confidence."
Severus' hands and mouth roamed over her available surface area. "Invoke my confidence? You mean like an oath?"
"Not precisely, I can bind you without your acceptance." Avoiding the unmitigated truth he hedged. "I require your trust, part of that means I must bring you back here to protect you as you will be in danger if you're allowed to roam free."
"It sounds like you don't trust me," Hermione accused.
Slamming his fist down onto the arm of his favourite armchair. "Damn right I don't trust you. You're going to get yourself hurt or worse, I won't let that happen if I can help it." Severus flinched and grabbed his left arm protectively. Severus slid Hermione off his lap and became stern, "wait here until I get back. I don't know how long I'll be gone." Severus opened a free-standing wardrobe and removed his Deatheater robes. Hermione had never seen Severus in them before, the sight woke something in her. She backed quickly into a corner and hid her eyes from the terrifying sight.
~*~
The black sleet rained down on Severus as he approached Hogwarts. The gates topped with winged boars opened when Severus revealed his Dark Mark. The chilling Arctic blasts whipped his robes around in bat-like frenzy. The walk up to the former school was a wasted landscape, brambles and grasses grabbed and swatted him in the wind. The doors into the Entry Hall opened as he waited for admittance. The doors to the Great Hall stood open, inside all was eerie darkness except the golden throne where the High Table would be. Severus' boot soles clacked in the vacant expanse.
"Severus," Voldemort hissed from his position of honour in the solitary world of his making. At a respectful distance, Snape went down on one knee as knights are want to do. "Rise Severus, I wish to have a word."
Removing his mask. "Certainly My Lord." Severus listened carefully and neutrally to the Dark Lord.
"I wish to know how your new toy is working out?" Voldemort leered, curling his lipless mouth.
"Better than expected my Lord." Severus smirked slightly for Voldemort's benefit.
"Excellent, I hope she serves you well. As I'm sure you guessed Mulciber crawled up here to tell me of your treatment of the creature. He was rather distressed to find you courting her openly." Voldemort's eyes narrowed.
Relaxed and at his ease, "Mulciber is a great fool and fails to see quality when it's right in front of him. I could tell right away that she had been an able witch of good stock. Her memory prior to the capture of Hogwarts is non existent. Blunt trauma no doubt. Pity, I wouldn't mind knowing who she really is."
"So Mulciber was correct in saying that she has a higher place in your household than a house elf?" Voldemort eyed Snape.
Severus responded frankly, "yes, my Lord. I shall take her for my wife when I've completed her schooling. I believe she will provide me with many sons. She is very fine of feature. I'm sure they will look more like her." Snape was impassive. "Lucius has encountered her as well, and even he approved of my choice."
"Yess, it can't be said that our Mr. Malfoy doesn't have high standards of beauty and charm." Voldemort cast his red eyed gaze around the empty space.
"I have only you to thank my Lord for such a fine specimen of femininity." Snape bowed in true gratitude. "I would have killed Mulciber if I had thought you would have approved my Lord. I promised him that if you gave me leave, I would be only too pleased to bring his head as a trophy to my Evelyn." Severus was cheered by the thought.
"Severus," hissed in a parody of laughter. "Mulciber is one of us."
"Mulciber isn't very bright, and he's careless. Careless stupidity will only create problems. I believe we are at a critical juncture where each decision we make collectively will make the difference between having an elevated position in the wizarding world and ruling it. As a ruling class it is important that our quality and quantity match." Severus assessed.
"Yes Severus, I believe you are right. I've been considering that very matter. We have Hogwarts, it's ours; however without competent witches and wizards to educate the children it stands only as a symbol. Little good will come of possessing the place if we can't bend the generations-to-come to our will." Voldemort sat quietly immersed in his own thoughts.
Severus stood quietly awaiting whatever command, question or pronouncement his master may make. The silence stretched out as the weather played its dismal reflection against the vaulted ceiling. No thunder, but the sleet pummelled the castle around them.
"Severus, I will give you Mulciber. You have been faithful and quite an asset to me over the years." Severus bowed and stayed bent for a long moment.
"And his girls?" Inquired Severus judiciously.
"Do what you wish with them. You might inspect them for another gem for breeding purposes. Go for now Severus, I will be calling upon you again once I've formulated my plan." Voldemort was indifferent.
"Thank you, my Lord. You are generous." Snape put his mask back on and bowed and left the lonely battered castle.
~*~
The street where Mulciber did business was bustling even at this late hour. Waltzing in the front door of the establishment Severus was on his guard. Applying a disillusionment charm, Severus went from door to door looking for the nasty curmudgeon. "Cough up." Mulciber was rumbling a young man leaving the establishment. "That's right." The craggy-faced wizard took the lad's gold and sent him on his way.
Drawing his wand, he focused all of his banked rage from his discovery of Hermione's battered and torn body. "Avada Kedavra," Mulciber heard Severus' voice but didn't have time to respond. The wizard fell to the floor. Removing his disillusionment charm, "elves." Four house elves popped up on what was obviously Mulciber's old office. "Are there any more of you in residence?" They shook their collective heads 'yes,' acknowledging Severus' authority. "Dest," his own house elf answered the call. Bowing briefly to Severus, Dest waited for a command. "Dest, I'm going to ward the building, I'm leaving you in charge of the elves and girls in my absence. While I'm ejecting the men and warding the place, see to its inhabitants. Meet me in the parlour in an hour with everyone."
~*~
With the men removed and the building secured, five elves, one of which was severely injured, and nine females of varying ages and conditions. After announcing his removal of Mulciber and his proprietorship of the place, he saw to their injuries one after the other. Severus asked Dest to assign an elf to bring tea things for everyone. Addressing the elves and ladies, he ordered them to clean the place and air it out, if briefly given the cold and see to the fireplaces. Another provision was that both girls and elves were to take their meals together in the parlour. None of the girls had nerve enough to ask a question, so Severus announced that he'd return tomorrow with the appropriate potions and whatever miscellany Dest thought they required. "Dest, see me in the morning, and Dest have one of the elves throw Mulciber in the bin outside, its as good as he deserves."
~*~
"Wert." Severus called out once inside his abode. An elf turned up taking Severus travelling cloak. "Thank you Wert, Dest is at working at another location for me. I need you to take charge here, I don't know when Dest will return. Thank you and good night Wert." Severus banished the Deatheater robes to the wardrobe as not to frighten Hermione when he saw her.
Entering his bed chamber, he spied Hermione sipping brandy. Judging by her reddened cheeks that hadn't been the first glass. "Hermione I have some good news." He tried to smile reassuringly, though their earlier conversation still lingered in the air. Setting aside her glass she looked to Severus expectantly. "Hermione, I've seen to Mulciber. He won't trouble you again in this lifetime." Relaxing into his arm chair, he took a sip of her brandy.
She smacked his hand, "go get your own." Giving her a speculative look, she was piss drunk.
"I will." Fixing a small brandy, he studied Hermione covertly. "We can't we finish our discussion from earlier, you are in no fit state. As such, you have two options: you can sleep in my room or sleep in yours after we spend some quality time together, but you're not going anywhere. What will it be dear?" Severus was resolute, there was no chance at all he was going to risk her splinching herself, get hauled off to St. Mungos and her revealing her true identity." She looked like she wanted to argue.
"I have work tomorrow afternoon." She defended.
"Let's not talk about that now. Actually lets not talk about anything." Fast as a cobra strike he grabbed her ankle, tossed her shoe aside and tickled the sole of her foot until she was writhing and incoherent.
"You, I'm going to get you Severus Snape." He nipped her arch tenderly.
"Before you have your revenge, I want to see you in the Slytherin uniform. Then you be as dastardly as you want." His lids hung at half-mast. "Yes, that sounds very good." Severus let out a low rumble.
She put the uniform on deliberately sloppy so she could look like the rest of the Slytherins. Snape watched her hungrily from across the room. "You can take the knickers off Ms. Granger you won't be needing them." When she pulled out her wand and vanished them, Severus sighed disappointed. "Now is not the time to be cheeky, Ms. Granger."
Downing the rest of his brandy, he joined her by the bed. Laying on his side negligently, "twirl for me." She did, then fell onto Severus rather drunkenly. He ran his hand up her leg and squeezed her round bum. "Quite nice. Now I want you to do something for me." Severus helped her to her feet and readjusted his position on the bed. "Now Ms. Granger, sit on my face, if you please." With a little help Hermione took up her perch. He rubbed his nose against her firm clit, and probed with his tongue. His head being entirely under her skirt, Hermione almost forgot about him as she rhythmically bumped her clit against his shapely nose repeatedly. When the gush began, her head reeled, then she fell onto the bed panting. Rolling her over he plunged into slippery lust. Holding himself back until the very end, Severus withdrew firing thick creamy ropes across her belly and breasts. He Scourgified them both and they crawled under the covers together. "Hermione, I'm not going to let you go." Her browns narrowed. "You need to get used to the idea. You are mine, and mine you'll stay." His softly spoken words raised gooseflesh across her body. "Tomorrow I will invoke your confidence and then we'll go from there.
