Chapter 36: Snape's Whore

{A/N: Here's an update...}

{"My lover's got humor...She's the giggle at a funeral...Knows everybody's disapproval...I should've worshiped her sooner...If the Heavens ever did speak...She is the last true mouthpiece...Every Sunday's getting more bleak...A fresh poison each week...'We were born sick, ' you heard them say it...My church offers no absolutes...She tells me 'worship in the bedroom'...The only heaven I'll be sent to...Is when I'm alone with you..."} Take Me To Church, Hozier

My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy-S.S.

The Sitting Room,Dumbledore Manor, Wizarding World...

Severus had not taken his dark eyes off the bushy haired witch since he followed her into the sitting room. She had been avoiding his questions since breakfast that morning. He was determined to find the answers to them and relentlessly hounded her. Hermione sat on the sofa like she had so many times before since arriving at this place that was the home of Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore. His obsidian eyes seemed to be probing for a weak spot so that he could attempt to enter her mind. This time Hermione had her defensive guards up. She had not been so sure she wanted Snape to find out that she had feelings for him. He had not liked the idea of anyone feeling anything for him outside of contempt. His mistrust of anyone who had attempted to "care" about him was mostly due to them only approaching him if they wanted something. The dour wizard wasn't too sure what Hermione wanted from him outside of the bedroom and emotional connections were not his strong suite.

"Why do you care so much?" he asked. "It's not like I've been bedding you when Potter went on his rampage."

"Severus." said Hermione. "Why must everything be such an insult to you."

"Because, it usually is." said Snape bitterly. "I prefer the knife I am stabbed with to be coming directly not misdirected when I turn my back."

"You insufferable, paranoid git." said Hermione annoyed. "I didn't want you to die...I already told you that."

"There is more to it." he said. "There has to be."

He attempted to get into her mind again. Hermione blocked him.

"Must you be such a brute?" asked the bushy haired witch.

"Give me the answer to my question or I will pluck it from your memories on my own." he demanded.

"No." said Hermione defiantly.

Again Snape attempted to invade her mind.

This time Hermione countered. Either it had not been in a way Snape expected or his defenses had been weakened somehow. Because instead of him invading her mind, she found herself free falling into his faster than he could clamp it shut. The bushy haired witch found herself viewing the day Harry was to be taken to the Burrows to get away from Voldemort's forces. Mad Eye Moody had instructed everyone of age to take the Polyjuice potion to become the boy who lived in an effort to keep The death eaters off Harry long enough for him to reach safety.

She had been stunned to note that Severus had been the death eater in pursuit of Harry and Hagrid and that he had saved them both from several others during their flight. It had become so clear to the young witch that Harry Potter would not have survived that day if it had not been for Snape's interference. What was worse had been what occurred after the dour wizard assisted Harry and Hagrid that had the witch break down in tears.

{ Everything had been moving faster than Severus had expected. He knew the attack would be soon but due to his outsider status he could not warn the order. He had hoped they would be smart enough to get the Dursleys to safety before hand or there would be yet another fine miss he would find himself in. This time with Lily's older sister.

The dour wizard had not seen Petunia since they were all children and her husband's nasty reputation for hurting Harry Potter in minor but still significantly effective ways had been all over the wizarding world by now.

Snape moved quickly his identity shielded by his mask as he followed young Harry James Potter and Hagrid. The dour wizard knew all too well that Hagrid would be the one entrusted to escort young Harry Potter to the next safe house. There was also common knowledge for Severus that Mad Eye Moody had been much too predictable when it came to what he deemed to be his protection job. Since the incident in Potter's fourth year, Moody had become increasingly paranoid and frequently with held in formation whenever Snape had been around.

After Dumbledore's "death" Moody had been the Auror who had gone after Snape at Spinner's End. It took a good deal of self control not to kill the stupid brute, especially since they had such a deep personal history.

Snape escaped and made it back to Malfoy Manor where Narcissa and Draco took care of him. He had been badly injured in the fight with Moody and had no where else to go. He couldn't really fault the one eyed buzzard, he was simply doing his job but truth be told...Snape was doing his job as well.

From beneath the white mask, Snape could see both Harry and Hagrid. He had been the first death eater on the scene. Lucky for them. The Potions Master had wanted them to hurry and get a move on before they were spotted by anyone else. He fired a few warning shots meant to be stinging hexes.

Harry did a good job of deflecting them. Harid increased their speed and the bike sipped through the tunnel. There was a moment when The boy had fallen out of his seat but he made good use of the bus and it all turned out well. Snape had to admit that he was at least a little impressed by the boy's fancy footwork when he ran along the top of the bus.

When they got out of the tunnel Snape sensed Voldemort. He zeroed in on Harry via their connection. Try as he might there was nothing more Snape could do for the boy and Hagrid without giving himself away to both sides. He stayed back a safe enough distance and allowed them to continue on with Voldemort chasing them. Harry defended himself and Hagrid valiantly. Unbeknownst to Snape he was able to fend off Voldemort and reach the Weasley residence quickly.

When Snape got back to Malfoy Manor Voldemort decided to let all of his followers know the extent of his rage at losing Harry Potter yet again.

"I WILL NOT TOLERATE FAILURE!" shouted the dark lord as he glared at each and every one of his followers.

Snape and Lucius had been called into a separate room and tortured in a bid to keep the lower levels from believing they had any merit. Lucius could barely walk by the time Voldemort had finished with him. Then the despot turned his attention to Snape who had been the last to feel his wrath.

The dour wizard dropped to his knees the instant the curse hit him.

"I will not tolerate failure." said the dark lord again. "Especially, not from someone as sufficient as you."

"ai aposlogahs, Bana fraeslis." hissed Snape in parseltongue. {"I apologize, Cold Friend."}

With a flick of his wand, Voldemort had stripped Snape bare and chained him from the wrists and ankles. The Potions Professor knew what was coming and resolved himself to just take the pain and worry about the damage later. The despot had given him the courtesy of no one witnessing him take his frustrations out on him.

The first sting of the magical whip from Lucius Malfoy's wand had hurt but Snape didn't let it show. It would not have done any good anyhow. Voldemort wanted him strong enough to take punishment but humble enough that he would never dare to cross him. The second sting came and Snape had gotten his mind use to the pain. Hermione watched as Snape took strike after strike barely letting out a single sound. The pale flesh of his back ripped open from a series of gashes from the whip.

She continued to watch as his body sagged from the weight of the blows as Voldemort's fury dissipated he stopped finally after 6 hours. Snape had been weak from both the pain and blood loss. He had been quite enraged and had asserted too much of his power. Everything went black and the next thing Snape knew he had been in a strange bed unable to move much of his body. The despot called in Narcissa Malfoy to take care of him. The last thing Snape recalled before everything faded was The dark lord's hiss in his ears.

"Kura ans, Bana ans, snart ans a~e praughs." said Voldemort. {"Black one, cold one, smart one, be proud."}

Snape ejected the witch from his mind and noted the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

"Y-You should not have seen that." he said unsure of how she would react.

Hermione said nothing as she got up off the sofa and made her way over toward him. Before Snape knew it she had her soft pink lips pressed against his pale ones and he pulled her closer. When the kiss ended her amber eyes met his obsidian ones and she began to project the images into his mind that he had wanted to see since she arrived at his side back at Azkaban.

{ Severus Snape found himself traveling with Hermione as she ventured from a local market toward her rundown apartment in Gotts street. She had seemed to be more or less her normal self but by this time Snape noted the slight air of sadness about her as she headed home. In the dark of the night a man approached her. He had looked the type of shady character one would find in Knockturn alley.

Snape arched an eyebrow at this. The dour wizard could tell by the way the man was acting this was not a particularly fond memory for Hermione.

The bushy haired witch in question had not seemed too put off by his presence. She was after all a war veteran and skilled with a wand. She had just reached the end of Clareson the street before her own on Gotts when she was suddenly surrounded by Three very angry looking men with vicious smirks on their faces.

"In a hurry to get your murderer boyfriend out of Azkaban?" asked one of them.

"I-I beg your pardon." said Hermione tightening her grip on her wand.

"You heard him." said the second man glaring at her.

"Everyone knows your Snape's whore." said the third man said glaring as well. "Why else would you want Dumbledore's killer to go free?"

"Professor Snape is not responsible for Dumbledore's death." said Hermione. "Harry was mistaken about him and I have never had anything but a respectable teacher-student relationship with The Potions Master."

"Snape's whore seems to think we're all dense." said the first man. "Nobody would defend that treacherous sack of cow dung before why all the sudden interest in him now?"

"It's because she's shagging him." said the second man with his dark eyes glinting. "Not even Snape can afford to turn down young trim."

"Nobody is shagging anybody." said Hermione in her own defense. "I simply wish to see Professor Snape freed because he is the reason we won the war against Voldemort."

The sinister looking men laughed at this.

"Oh please, the next she'll be saying he's a saint." said the third man.

"Can you believe this cunt?" said the second man with a grin. "She'll say or do anything just to free her boyfriend."

The first man advanced and Hermione drew her wand dropping her groceries in the process.

"I-I think you gentlemen should move along now." she said in a warning tone.

"Snape's little whore seems upset that we're laughing at her boyfriend." said the first man. "Perhaps, if she had been properly seen to she'd be more agreeable with our point of view."

"I was thinking the same thing." said the second man.

They all continued to advance toward her.

"Expelliamus!" shouted Hermione knocking them back and running toward her rundown apartment.

They scrambled to their feet and gave chase.

"Expelliamus!" shouted Hermione knocking them back once again.

It had been just enough for her to make it home, sadly she had been minus her groceries. It was weeks before she could even think about going outside again but she willed herself to do it and even attended the hearing in a bid to get Snape an appeal. Despite her efforts it had been denied but she still kept trying. She knew the man was innocent and she couldn't just leave him there.)

Tears continued to fall down Hermione's cheeks. Snape had not known what to say to her after seeing some of what she had went through just to save him. He had not felt that anything he had done in the past was worthy of the young witch's devotion. She seemed to feel otherwise. Going so far as to ignore a near rape in a bid to get him freed from Azkaban.

Snape wiped her tears away with his pale fingers lifted her chin with a single pale index finger until her amber eyes met his obsidian ones once more.

"Why?" he asked in a soft tone.

"B-Because you didn't deserve to be there." said Hermione. "You saved Harry...you saved all of us...and you've been through so much for everyone just for them to treat you this way."

"I've been hated my whole life Hermione." said Snape. "I've known nothing else for quite some time."

"T-The Malfoys don't hate you." said Hermione wiping away her own tears.

"The were the only family I had for a time." replied Snape. "Then Potter made it so that if they come within an inch of me everything they have would be destroyed."

"T-They turned their backs on you?" she asked.

"They had no choice." said Snape surprisingly more understanding than Hermione would be in his position, especially since his actions saved Draco Malfoy from being either killed or sentenced to Azkaban himself. "Lucius was barely holding together after his stint in Azkaban and the dark lord's reign of terror at his manor and Draco was shattered after what happened to Dumbledore and Charity Burbage...Narcissa was simply trying to keep her family from falling apart...I do not fault them...Potter gave them no choice...I know all too well what having no choice in one's actions can lead to."

Hermione sighed.

Snape stroked her tear stained cheek with a pale hand.

"You're no whore." he said. "I apologize that those idiots saw fit to call you such a thing."

Hermione took a turn at stroking his sallow pale cheek

"I am sorry that Harry hated you." she said. "He can be an unreasonable prick sometimes."

"Do not apologize for Potter." said Snape suddenly annoyed. "I care nothing for his inability to see reason witch, it is you that I care for."

Hermione found herself caught off guard by his admission.

"Y-You care for me?" she asked unsure if she heard him right.

Snape said nothing in reply but Hermione found herself pulled into a heated kiss. The bushy haired witch found herself wrapping her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer. He lifted her up and she wrapped her slender legs around his waist. The Potions Master carried the bushy haired witch toward his bedroom. They knew nothing of the danger looming on the horizon or the plans of a very sinister older wizard in the works.