Chapter 36
Her energy levels were pretty much depleted by the time Severus had made his way back to the office. Harry had refused to speak to her the whole time she had tried to explain things, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the floor.
"...Have you listened to anything that I've said, Harry?" Once again she was met with silence as he continued to stare at the floor, "Please Harry. Talk to me!"
His head snapped up, "What do you want me to say, Hermione? That I'm happy for you? That you have my fucking blessing? It's sick!" He growled, "don't use me to make yourself feel better about this. What you are doing is wrong..." He turned to Dumbledore, "and the fact that you are allowing this, Headmaster, is fucking wrong."
Hermione winced slightly at his words, she had hoped that after she had explained the situation and how their feelings had developed that possibly she could of at least convinced him that she was happy. Yet it seemed whatever she said only made his opinion of it worse.
"Love between two consenting adults is not wrong, Harry. Miss Granger is a woman, both in the legal sense and in the mental sense...That's not even mentioning the fact that in terms of life spans we live a far longer time than our muggle counterparts, the age gap between them may seem rather large to you now, but within 5...10 years they would be like any other normal wizard couple."
"But this isn't 10 years time! This is now! And in the present she is an 18 year old student of that old bat!"
"Don't call him that!" She snapped, "And I will no longer be his student in the next month and a half. What will you argue about us then?"
He laughed bitterly, "What will I argue about? The fact that it's will still fucking wrong. It will always be wrong, what ever age, where ever you guys are, whatever you are doing if you are with him it will always be wrong..."His voice changed as it became deeper before it started to crack, "...Hermione, please...Stop this, for me.
"Oh for fuck sake Potter, cry me a river." Severus sneered as he slammed the office door shut behind him making both Hermione and Harry jump at the sound. "Your pathetic narcisitic attitude is getting on my nerves." He walked over to Hermione whilst unbottling the potion in his hand. He held it out to her, "Drink, before I end up needing to get a stronger dose." She nodded, taking the potion from him and drink it down in one go. The taste was sour in her mouth and she couldn't help but pull a face as she handed Severus back the bottle.
"Are we done here? I'm pretty much at my limit of nausia right now..." Harry remarked as his eyes moved between Hermione and Severus as he stood behind her.
Dumbledore sighed, "Harry, you have been told this is confidence. I hope that even though you may have a negative opinion on their feelings that you will respect them enough to keep this to yourself."
"What is it that I'm keeping to myself, Headmaster? The fact that my best friend has fallen in love with the nastiest man I know, or the fact that nasty man is your potion's master?"
Hermione had heard enough. She had hoped that after she had explained everything and poured her heart out that her friend would at least partially understand, yet he was unmoved and her heart hurt too much to stay and watch him continue to insult her feelings. "You know what, Harry, even though I knew this would be extremely difficult for you to swallow I always thought that once I told you everything you would at least respect my feelings in this...to at least love me enough to know I had found someone who I could finally connect with. To know that I was wrong...that you would prefer me to be without that..." She found her voice breaking, her emotions were starting to become overwhelming as she realised she needed to escape the increasing claustrophobia of the office. She pushed herself out of her chair and turned to leave, thankful to at least have a clear head.
"Wait." Severus growled, pushing her back down in her chair, "this is not over."
She turned her head to look back at him, annoyed by the fact that he wasn't allowing her to leave a situation which was obvious that she no longer wanted to be apart of. "This is over. Harry doesn't want to listen and I'm done sitting here allowing him to belittle my feelings."
"-Belittle your feelings?" Harry interrupted, "I'm trying to protect you, Hermione! What do you think people are going to think when they find out that your shaking up with Snape?"
"For fuck sake, shut up Potter." Severus snapped before turning back to Hermione, "...Listen, as much as he is against this, he is still your friend. You are going to need his support in the next coming months... and you Potter, are definitely going to need hers."
"Professor Snape is right." Dumbledore sighed, "we have bigger issues that are needing to be dealt with besides any budding relationships that you may disapprove of...So Harry, why do we not revisit this conversation after we have dealt with the impending war that is upon us?"
Hermione watched as what Dumbledore said slowly sank into Harry's head, his eyes still glaring at Severus behind her. "Harry." She added quietly, "whatever you think about me... I will still be by your side during this war." Her comment seem to stop Harry in his tracks as his gaze dropped back to her.
"I don't know if I want you by my side at the end..."
His whispered words cut deep into her chest, causing a quiet sob to escape her lips.
"...you ignorant fucking-"
"Severus..." Dumbledore warned quietly.
"No, Albus... Did you hear what that buffoon just said?" Severus growled before turning back to Harry, "I didn't know it was possible, Potter, but you have actually gone further down in my estimation." He took Hermione by the arm and gently pulled her up, "we're done here, Albus. Deal with your boy." Hermione didn't resist as Severus led her to the fireplace, throwing the powder down and shouting for his chambers. Before he followed he he turned back to the two wizards behind him.
"The fact that you are willing to lose not only one of your only loyal friends but one of the most intelligent witch of our time just because you don't agree with her choice men is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard." He sneered, "There's going to come a time when you are going to need every damn friend you've got, and for your sake and for the sake of this fucking war, I hope she doesn't remember your last remark." Severus threw the powder down after him and left the two wizards in silence.
Harry's hands were starting to hurt with the strength it was taking to keep them clenched as he sat on the chair, staring at the the fireplace as if waiting for them to come back and proclaim the whole situation to be a joke.
"I thought better of you Harry."
"And I thought better of you, Headmaster." Harry snapped, standing up with such anger that his chair flew backwards. "How could you let this happen?"
Dumbledore continued to sit, unfazed by the sudden display. "What are you more upset about Harry? The fact that Hermione is in love with Severus...or the fact that she is not in love with you?"
The comment seemed to leave the younger wizard shocked for a moment, his eyes going wide at the Headmaster's question, before turning around and making his way to the door.
"I'm sure that I don't have to tell you again that what was said here goes no further than Mr. Weasley. For the sake of not only your friendship but also for what Hermoine is involved with in terms of her role with in Tom's Death Eaters..."
"Just because I am not happy with what is going on here, does not mean that I want her dead." Harry snarled, opening the door. "But if you think I am going to stand by and allow this to happen then you are badly mistaken."
"If you believe that this is something you can stop then I believe you are the one that is mistaken, Harry." Dumbledore replied softly, "Do not make her choose between you both."
He paused, turning slowly around to face the Headmaster. "Are you telling me that if I make her choose, that she will choose him?"
"What I'm saying, is that if you make her choose...either way you will be robbing her of someone she desperately needs."
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There had been many times over the last week that Hermione had wanted to drown in another batch of her wondrous potion, yet none as strong as it was at this moment. Walking out of the fireplace and into Severus's livingroom she wondered through into the bathroom before shutting the door and magically locking it, throwing a silencing spell around her. She slid down the door as she finally let out everything she had been holding in, her screams bouncing off the cold tiles of the bathroom.
"Open the door, Hermione. I know you're in there."
Her silencing spell may have kept him from hearing her but she was not stupid enough to think she could hide from him. That, however, did not mean she was ready to unlock the door. She hoped he would get the hint and leave her to it, yet she could already feel him trying to break her locking spell. Growling, she took her wand out of her pocket refusing to allow him such easy entry as she had before. It took her a good couple of minutes before she was satisfied that she had strengthened the spell with enough power to keep him from breaking down the door. Resting her head back on the door, she closed her eyes and waited for the ebbing pain in her chest to go away yet within moments she felt the weight of the door give way as it was pulled open. It had surprised her so much that her body wasn't prepared for the sudden disappearance of the support of the bathroom door; which explained her new position on the ground, gazing up at an even more surprised Severus.
His hands went under her arms and pulled her up within a second, cursing under his breath as he did so. "Woman I have just given you a concussion potion, please restrain yourself from making me administer another one."
"Well, if you could stop hunting me down when it's clearly obvious I want to be alone then maybe I wouldn't need another one!" She growled, "What part of a locking spell screams 'come and get me', Severus?"
"I appreciate that you wanted to be alone, however, I don't think it wise...Isolating yourself further will not help you." His finger went under her chin as she tried to turn away from his gaze, "We went over this a while ago, remember?"
"It's not self inflicted this time... I never thought he would turn against me like this." She replied quietly, trying her best to keep herself from crying.
Severus's jaw was tight as he tried his best not to show her any of the emotions that he was truly feeling, knowing that to show his need to smash the boy's head in would not help the situation.
"The idiot will realise that he can not turn against you. You just have to give him time...He's had a pretty big smack in the face tonight. I have never given him a reason to like me, in fact until now I have taken great pleasure in making him hate me... To find out that his best friend has feelings for such a person, must be difficult."
"He knows what you do for the Order! That should be enough to at least give you some respect."
"I'm pretty sure any respect that Potter had for me quickly evaporated the moment he realised our feelings for each other, Hermione...In all honesty I'm not bothered by it. I've never liked the brat, however that does not mean I want your friendship with him to deteriorate. Give him a while to get over the shock and I can assure you he will realise what a big mistake he is making in thinking any less of you because of us."
"Do you truly believe that?" She whispered, her eyes watery as they looked up at him.
He stood back up straight, peering down at her slightly, "Yes, and until then I need you to focus on the bigger picture. Potter was kindly able to give a portkey back to the the location that Draco is being held... A portkey that I believe you made for yourself?"
The change in subject brightened her up slightly as she gave him a small smile, "Draco was able to redirect it back! I hadn't thought to do it when I created it...assuming that I would be the one to go, I could simply do it once I was there..."
"As much as I am impressed with your talents of teaching yourself how to create portkeys, the fact that you were planning on going in the first place has dampened my first initial pride in you...however I suppose it would be futile for me to actually lecture you on once again for going against my wishes?"
She shrugged with a small smile, "You're more than welcome to lecture me if it makes you feel better, however, as you've just explained we have bigger things to focus on rather than my usual refusal to listen to instructions... Where is he?"
"From what I gathered from Potter, Draco is somewhere in Essex. I'm going to go over now to check on him and to gain whatever I can in information, can I ask you to do something that you've never really done before and actually wait for me here?"
"That depends on if I feel something is more important or not."
"-Nothing is more important than your life, Hermione. Please remember that."
She shivered slightly as his silky deep growl that responded to her words. She moved closer and pulled herself up on her tip toes in front of him whilst bringing his head down to meet her lips. Her kiss was light as she teased his tongue, making him hiss and pulling her even closer to him as his hands went around her back. She wanted to drown in him, finally letting her wall down as she allowed herself to succumb to her feelings. Their Kiss became desperate as she found herself wanted to connect with him on a deeper level than they had for quite a while yet she found him once again slowing down and gently placing her back on the floor before stepping back slightly.
His face almost looked pained as he gazed back at her, "I need to get to Draco...from what I've gathered I don't know when he is going to have company."
She held back a moan of frustration and nodded, "Sorry, that went a little further than I expected it to go..."
He paused for a moment before bending back down again and pressing his lips against hers for a moment before pulling back, "don't apologise for such things."
He grabbed his cloak from behind him and threw it over his shoulders, turning back to her he put his hand in his pocket before pulling it out and holding his hand out to her. She eyed the bracelet for a moment before looking back at Severus's face with an arched eyebrow.
"The tracking bracelet?"
"It was never just a tracking braclet, it monitored your mental and physical health. However yes, my main concern at the moment is your location...you were abducted only a little while ago and it was just down to pure luck that, your friends knew who took you and that I knew your location through my Death Eater contacts...I don't like relying on luck, Hermione. There were so many factors that were in our favour last time...I doubt we will have those same factors again."
She didn't like the thought of Severus being aware of her location at any time, it wasn't something that made her comfortable in the slightest. But he had a point. They had been pretty lucky last time that she had come across trouble that it had been with witnesses and a rather nasty, yet famous witch that Severus knew all too well. However, she knew their luck would not always be as great, and it was going to be at times like that she would wish for the slim dangly metal in his hand. She took it out of his hand with a silent nod of acceptance, placing it around her wrist and clasping it shut.
Severus visibly relaxed slightly as she did so, "Thank you." Taking her hand, he kissed the inside of her wrist that held the bracelet causing her to let out a small whimper. Yet unlike the whimper of pain that escaped her lips in the headmaster's office when he had examined her head wound they both knew this sound was for an entirely different reason.
He let go of her wrist and stepped back further, almost as if not trusting himself to be too close to her. "Go to bed, I don't know how long I am going to be." He turned and walked out, not waiting for her response, although Hermione didn't believe her dry mouth could give him a witty come back at that moment in time anyway. Yet one thing she was able to comprehend at that moment in time was that she was not going to be sleeping any time soon.
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"What do ya think Dreg?"
"...You have a lovely singing voice Master Draco." Dreg piped up from behind the sofa, his ears wrapped around his head as his eyes peeked over the arm of the chair, giving Draco a wary look.
"And you sir, are a wonderful liar!" Draco chirped as he poured himself another brandy. "This is lovely stuff by the way."
"I thought you would like it, it is Mistress's favourite."
Draco paused, his glass at his lips as his fuzzy drunken mind comprehended the house elf's last comment. Putting the glass back on the table beside him he let out a sigh, "Well there goes my apatite for that shit..."
"I have upset master! I am so stupid! So stupid!" Dreg screeched, hitting his head repeatedly against the floor. Draco was neither sober enough nor patient enough to deal with the sudden loud banging that was now vibrating around the small livingroom as well as his head.
"Dreg! You're quick movements are making me wanna puke. If you're going to punish yourself can ya be quiet about it?" Suddenly he had an idea and pointing excitedly at the quivering elf. "Oh! I know can you punish yourself by cooking me some food? I'm starving." The elf seemed to cheer up immensely at the new instructions given to him and disapeared within seconds, giving Draco well needed space to continue his song in peace.
"Thank Merlin that your not planning a career in the music field. Even your bloody mother would not be able to compliment you on that shit."
Draco laughed as he swirled in his chair, facing Severus as he walked through into the living room. "I wondered how long it would take you to finish scoping the area and actually come in and say hello."
"Some of us have to be careful about potential company that may come visiting..." Severus sneered as he eyed the bottle of brandy and half filled glass beside his godson. "enjoying yourself?"
"What wouldn't I be enjoying Severus? My father has stolen me away to be potion maker for an evil dark lord whilst he pimps out my mother...It's fucking Christmas come early."
"I've seen your mother."
Draco sobered up instantly at his words, leaning forward in her seat. "Is she ok?"
"Enough to threaten my bollocks if I don't assure your safety."
"Good old mum."
"Indeed...now, what the hell have you got yourself into?"
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"You're appearance seems to be lacking of late, Narcissa. It is becoming increasingly irritating." His cold, skeleton like fingers ran themselves slowly through her hair, "I could almost deem it as a personal insult…are you insulting me girl?" His fingers grasped a handful of her hair before wrapping it around his hand and pulling her head so that she faced him.
"No, My Lord. I apologise I was not aware that my appearance was not satisfactory… I will leave now and make myself more presentable." She attempted to stand up, hoping that he would think on her suggestion, yet with a hard force he pushed her back down, his fingernails gripping in her scalp.
"Did I give you permission to stand?" He hissed into her hair, "You will stay put!"
She held back a hiss as she found herself sitting back on her knees, her naked body prickled with goose bumps as her master refused to use a simple heating charm. Every evening for the last couple of months she found herself in the same degrading position and every evening she found herself becoming more and more hateful of everything around her. She hated them all. Her husband, her sister, the acquaintances that claimed they were friends and most of all the vile reptilian ghost of a man beside her. She was tired of having to show anything but contempt as she plotted all of their deaths.
His hands moved down her head to her neck as he forced her head onto his lap, rubbing her face into his groin. She thanked the gods for small mercies that he could never actually get his deformed body to react the same way that a healthy man would. His mutated penis only able to ever achieve a half erectile state and even then for no longer than a few minutes; yet she realised very early on that it wasn't sex that he was bringing her every night but a process of her humiliation and his grotesque self gratification. He thought of himself as attractive as he had been in his previous body decades earlier and by dragging an attractive woman into his bed every night he was confirming that with himself. He had killed his last pretty little concubine when she had suggested a potency potion and a couple of glamour spells for his appearance.
Narcissa had not been so foolish, the man considered himself a lord both in power and in physical attributes and she would do nothing to argue that. She simply hoped that she would be close when the all powerful lord was destroyed by a mere child. Smiling to herself as he forced his flaccid penis in her mouth.
"My lord…I'm sorry to disturb you but Yaxley needs to speak to you…he says it's urgent."
"If it's so urgent tell Yaxley to come in, but warn him that if I don't class it in the same importance I will punish him." Came the hiss from above her, yet she knew better than to stop what she was doing until she was commanded. Thankfully he slapped he face away seconds later and commanded her to kneel on the floor in front of him. There had been plenty of times where he had ordered her to continue whilst he had private meetings with other members, including Lucius. It was at times like that that she became acutely aware of what she had truly become. A mere whore.
Yaxley walked into the room before kneeling in front of the bed that the Dark Lord was currently lazing on. His head bowed low, as he addressed the man before him. "My Lord...I apologise if i have come at an inconvenient time...but we need to speak about the...replenishment situation..." Narcissa kept her face turned away from both men, pretending to be more interested in the the view outside the window.
"and what is the problem with the replenishment situation? I gave you quite a easy task, so much so that 4 other subordinates were given to you to complete it for you... all you had to do in give them the supplies in which to complete it."
"The key ingredients that Weasley gave us...we haven't got enough... we still need another fourteen samples."
"The girl gave us what she could in the time she could without raising suspicion. you will make do with the samples that you have. Simply double up, triple if there is enough."
Yaxley nodded, "Yes... it could work...I also have a couple from the ministry that i thought that could add, it would create an additional layer of confusion." I have brought a list of what we have so far for you to review." Narcissa watched as Yaxley stood cautiously his head still lowered as he held out a piece of parchment to the man beside her. She tried her best to glance at it without showing too much attention, yet none of it made sense, turning away again in frustration. She had barely anything to give Severus, and as bitter as the thought was she wanted to give him some sort of information that could help bring this establishment to it knees, even if it meant living with half breeds and any other kinds of horrific outer magic breeding spawns.
At least with that vile bunch I would feel like their superior and not a common prostitute...
"Narcissa. Leave us. There are some things i need to discuss with Yaxley in private." He rasped next to her, causing her to jump slightly as she snapped out of her thoughts. Within a second of it sinking in she had jumped up and grabbed the closest sheet before walking out the door, making sure not to walk too quick as to show eagerness to leave but quick enough to be respectful. A delicate balance was always needed when it came to the psychotic.
She was thankful this time that her time together with him had been cut so short, she had been with him less than an hour and not long enough for him to start anything that would cause scarring. As she walked down the hallway towards her bedroom she glanced around at the appearance of her house, its once luxurious décor and beautiful paintings tainted and stained by the barbarians that now walked freely around her own house.
If I live to see that bastard dead i will burn this place to the ground and rebuild from scratch...
The thought calmed her slightly, imagining her husband in the centre of their glorious ball room when she did. His screams echoing around their high ceilings.
"I haven't seen you smile like that in a long time my dear Cissa...Care to share what has brought on your supposed sudden happiness."
Narcissa's smile widened as she closed their bedroom door behind her before turning back to her husband, content with his miserable state as he lounged in the armchair next to their bed, the smell of alcohol filling her nostrils.
"Something quite beautiful, love," She sighed, "Me burning you alive in the ballroom whilst the rest of this cursed mansion collapsed around us."
"How romantic... Maybe for our 25th wedding anniversary, I'll invite your sister along as well." Lucian replied dryly, throwing back the rest of the whiskey that was in his glass before dropping it on the floor.
she walked over to where he was sitting and stood in front of him, not even attempting to hide her disgust for the drunken man lounging in front of her. She had never truly loved him, their marriage had not been built on such unstable foundations, but instead on a respect of their bloodlines and names. Their combined power and wealth had made the choice of marrying him an obvious one, and one which he also agreed. Yet very early on she realised her grievous mistake, and from the moment that he had forced her to conceive knowing that she had no desire to bring a child into the middle of a battlefield was the moment that any shred of affection she had for him turned to the darkest of hatred.
"Where is my son, Lucius?" She cooed, her head bent slightly to the side. For anyone who did not know Narcissa Malfoy, this would of seemed like a soft hearted woman, kindly asking her husband of her son's location; yet Lucius knew that tone all too well and slowly repositioned himself in his chair. Sitting up in his chair he tried his best to sober up as quickly as he could before answering her.
"...I didn't realise you would find out so quickly..."
Even standing in front of him in just a bed sheet, intimidation oozed off of her as she sneered at his response; "Oh, so you knew I would find out eventually that you have taken my son from the safest place he could be at this moment in time? Have you got a death wish?"
"He is our son!" Lucius snapped, "and if you treated him as such rather than some weak little pet then maybe he wouldn't of been nominated."
"Nominated?"
"Yes! The Dark Lord wanted him more involved! What was I supposed to do Cissa? Say no?"
"That's exactly what you should of done! And if he would have killed you then so be it!" She snapped, dropping the sheet and stepping over it to get closer to him before raising her hand to slap him. Lucius jumped up and grabbed her wrist, "Do you think that he would of stopped at just me?" He spat, grabbing her other wrist as she attempted again to hit him. Pulling her wrists together he brought her even closer to him, their noses almost touching as he glared at her.
"Me saying no would mean the total annihilation of our family. He would kill you and he would kill Draco. Slowly. Traitors do not get the option of a quick death."
"If you had allowed me to take Draco away fifteen years ago like I had planned then you wouldn't have gotten us in this mess. Don't you dare stand there and play the martyred family man, you piece of shit." She whispered, running her nose along his cheek until her lips were beside his ear, "And if my son is harmed because of your mistakes I will gut you like a fish before feeding them back to you. Is that understood?"
He released his grip on her wrists, "I have understood that for some time, my love."
Giving him one last disgusted look she turned and walked over to the en-suit bathroom door, "Great, now get the fuck out of my bedroom. I need to clean the latest activity that your beloved Dark Lord decided to bestow on me." she didn't move until she heard the door to the room slam shut, letting out a breath as she relaxed in her own solitude. instead of going into the bathroom like she had indicated she turned back to the bedroom and grabbed some blank parchment.
I now have what you need, now make good on your promise.
She knew what she was claiming was a stretch by imagination. In reality she had a couple of memorised names and a partial cryptic conversation between the Dark Lord and Yaxley. But she was desperate for some sort of news about Draco and so she was willing to deal with a angered Severus Snape to get it. Rolling up the paper, she opened the window and watched as the large white owl drifted to the window and obediently held it'e leg out.
After giving it a gentle stroke across it's back she attached the parchment to it's leg. "This is to go straight to Severus."
The owl gave a small hoot in understanding before flying off, leaving her feeling like she had something to hope for. She was determined to complete her mission from fifteen years ago and get Draco away from the whole horrific mess that Lucian and, coincidently, herself had placed him in. All she needed to know was his location and they would disappear.
"God help anyone who tries to stand in my way."