Okay, I will go on vacation again and I won't be back until Friday. If I get the time, I will post another chapter later tonight, but right now, I need to start packing! So enjoy this chapter and I'd love to hear what you think!
Take care!
Warning; This chapter has not yet been betaed!
Chapter 38 – The new headmaster
When Hermione first woke up, she wondered where she was. The room was brighter and the body next to her was smaller than she was used to. She turned around a little and her hand came in contact with something soft. Hm… Where had she felt that before?
"Hermione, I love you, but only as a friend. So could you please remove your hand from my tit?"
Hermione blushed and rolled away. "Sorry, Ginny… I didn't mean to..."
Ginny giggled and Hermione couldn't help but to giggle as well. But they were interrupted when someone pulled the curtains away.
"Shit," Ginny mumbled. "I forgot!"
"What do we have here?!" It was an old dark-haired woman that Hermione didn't recognised. "Everyone except married couple shall be sleeping in their own beds. That is an old Hogwarts' rule."
"Madame Toulouse, please, Hermione was just a little sad and…" Ginny tried.
"No, excuses, Miss Weasley. This has to be taken to the Headmaster. Come with me."
Hermione and Ginny got up and followed the old Madame. Hermione noticed that the woman held herself very straight and wondered if she wore a corset.
"Who is she?" she asked Ginny in a low voice.
"I forgot to tell you, they check us every night and morning to 'be sure we are alright'. But I think they are only making sure none of us has run away."
"Oh… So she is some kind of nanny?"
Ginny shrugged. "I think she is a relative to Filch. Neither of them like students."
Hermione smiled a little as they hurried through the corridors. She wanted to stop and have a break. This was what you got from moving too little… Why couldn't she have taken her robes? Sure, her nightgown wasn't reviling anything, but it was cold.
They came to the old statue that hid the entrance to the Headmaster's office.
"Revolution," Toulouse said and the statue nodded and showed then the staircase.
Hermione rolled her eyes. Voldemort knew how to pick a password. "Revolution", yeah right.
The Madame knocked on the door.
"Enter," came Voldemort calm response.
If Hermione hadn't been so tried after the walk, she might have been a little more worried about what Voldemort would do when he saw her.
Toulouse opened the door and they went into the office.
Hermione arched an eyebrow at the redecoration. Like in Dumbledore's days, there where a lot of books everywhere, but nothing else was the same. Voldemort had changed the colours in the room to green and silver and there were big green curtains hanging over the windows. Instead of a bird, there were four different snakes in the room. One was lying next to the window, enjoying the sun. One was lying on a bookshelf. One was sliding over the floor and the last was sitting behind the desk, reading something with a frown on his forehead. Too bad he didn't look like a snake anymore…
Without being welcomed to sit, Hermione took the liberty to sit down in one of the armchairs. Her legs were trembling and she was hungry.
Toulouse gave her a glare before she turned to Voldemort.
"I found these two girls in the same bed this morning. I found their position rather inappropriate."
Voldemort looked up in surprise. "Girls?" Then he saw Hermione and Ginny and laughed.
Hermione and Ginny exchanged a look.
"Well, well, I hadn't expected this," he said when he had finished laughing. "Thank you, Madame Toulouse. I will take care of this."
The old lady nodded and with another angry glare at the girls, she left.
Voldemort leaned back in the chair and watched Hermione under half-lidded eyes. Hermione couldn't help but to blush.
"I have heard about strange cravings during a woman's pregnancy, Mrs Snape, but I didn't know you had such… helpful friends." He looked at Ginny.
"It was nothing like that… sir," Ginny said. "We were just asleep."
Voldemort smirked. "Of course you were. Nevertheless, everyone in this school has their own bed to sleep in. Ten points from Gryffindor, Miss Weasley. You may go."
"What about Hermione?" Ginny asked.
Voldemort gave her a hard look. "Since Mrs Snape seems to be well enough for nightly visits in other peoples beds, I guess she is healthy enough to talk about her schoolwork."
Ginny looked at Hermione, who shrugged. She nodded and left with a small "Thank you, sir."
When the door closed behind Ginny, Voldemort looked at her again.
"You know… I would have welcomed you into my bed if you wanted to have somewhere to sleep…"
Hermione blushed. "I know you would."
"Then why go to Miss Weasley?"
"Because I needed comfort."
"I could give you that…" Voldemort got up from his chair and came to stand in front of her, leaning against his desk. "And I'm sure Severus would have too… So why didn't you just stay with your loving husband?"
She looked down on the floor. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Trouble in paradise?"
"When was it paradise?"
"Ah… So you two had a row and you ran off to Miss Weasley…"
"Yes."
"Look at me."
Hermione looked up and met his stare.
"How are you feeling?"
"Hungry and weak," Hermione said truthfully.
"Well, I can take care of one of those things." He went to a cabinet made of heavy oak and opened it. He selected a few things and went back to her and placed the items on the table. She saw that it was food. Fruits, cereals and milk. He smiled at her hungry look and transfigured a pen to a plate and mixed cereals with bananas, pear and grapes. When that was done, he drained it with milk and gave it to her.
"Thank you," she mumbled and started to eat.
"I miss seeing you eat," he said and watched her as she chewed.
She swallowed. "Really?" she asked in disbelief.
He nodded. "And I miss seeing you naked…"
She blushed and looked down at her food as she continued to eat. He didn't say anything, but she could feel his stare. It was very disturbing.
When she was done, he made the plate disappear.
"So…" she said and got up. "Thank you for the food, I guess I have to…"
"Oh, no you don't." He captured her wrist and made her spin around and into his arms. "We still have a lot of things to talk about."
His hands were around her waist and he spook quietly into her hair.
"But…" Hermione shivered when he sat down in the armchair she just had left and pulled her into his lap.
"You are cold," he mumbled and pulled his robes around her.
"It's okay…"
"No, I don't want you to catch a cold." He pulled her arms around her and made her lean against him.
"There we go…"
"This is highly inappropriate," she mumbled.
"Not yet, princess." His voice was full of promises she didn't know if she wanted.
"I'm married!"
"Yes, so you said last time…" He smirked and kissed her forehead.
"That was just a… thank-you-for-saving-my-life-snog."
"Really?"
"Yes!"
"So then we can call this a thank-you-for-breakfast-snog…" He bent her head up and captured her lips.
Hermione tried to get loose, but he held her too tightly. So she pressed her lips together tightly.
Voldemort sighed, but let go of her lips. "Why can't you just enjoy it? The most gorgeous man alive want to kiss you, damn it!"
"Oh, sorry if I hurt your feelings Narcissus," she muttered. "But I am married and I don't want to cheat on him."
"Fine…" Voldemort muttered, but he didn't loosen his grip. "So I suppose we should talk about your schedule instead."
"Yes."
He started to stroke her back and Hermione couldn't help but relax a little.
"I think you should start to try simple spells in the beginning of next week. I can feel your magic again, even if it is weak."
"You can?"
"Yes, I just said so. But you will have to do some exercises too… The magic doesn't get any stronger if your body is weak."
"Oh… I know that. But I guess I can begin with some of the things Bella showed me."
"Ah… Bella… yes."
"Where is she?"
"I keep her occupied… She is a bit… mad."
"More than usual?"
"Yes."
"I feel sorry for her."
He sighed. "I do too."
"You do?"
"Well… Perhaps not, but she was quite useful. Now I have to make sure she doesn't kill herself."
"You are heartless…" Hermione muttered and subconsciously touched his chest.
"Not really," he mumbled. She could feel his nose inside her hair.
What was wrong with him?! She broke loose and stood up.
"If that's all, I think I will be going," she said.
Voldemort sighed but leaned back in the chair. "I will have you, Hermione. And you can't deny that the thought turns you on."
Hermione gave him an angry glare before she turned around and threw some Floo-powder into the fire. It was time to deal with her husband. She didn't see Voldemort smiling like the devil behind her.
xxx
Severus watched his young wife disappear and was relived that she had chosen the Gryffindor tower instead of Voldemort. He stared into the fire for some moments and then groaned. How could he have said all those things? He didn't mean any of it, he loved her.
Well… sure, she was annoying… And she had a talent to make him jealous beyond reason. But… He loved her. She was the mother of his child!
He went to his liquor-store and poured himself a glass of Firewhisky. He didn't think she would come back more tonight, so he could drain his sorrows a little.
After the sixth glass, he started to become angry again.
Who did Voldemort think he was? It was not like Severus came and stole his wife! Not that Voldemort really had a wife, but that was beside the point. Voldemort was just… evil. You didn't give someone a girl and then decided that you wanted her yourself. No, Voldemort probably wanted her the whole time, but didn't know how to take her.
Yes. And that was evil! Bloody, fucking, evil Dark Lord. Severus wanted to tell him just that. Yes. He should tell him.
"Headmaster's office," Severus grunted into the fire and stepped through. He fell into Voldemort's office.
"Severus?" Voldemort was standing at a bookshelf with a book in his hand. When he saw Severus, he put the book back on the shelf.
"You…" Severus got up pointed at the Dark Lord. "… are a bad employer."
Voldemort arched an eyebrow. "And you are clearly drunk."
Severus stumbled over to Voldemort and grabbed his robe. "She is mine! You gave her to me!"
Voldemort smiled coldly and pushed Severus of him. "And now I take her back."
"That was your intension all along! Wasn't it?!" Severus asked hotly.
"Yes, it was," Voldemort said calmly. "Well, perhaps not everything but… I had been planning to use her at the ritual, and then use her to take over the world. I didn't think she would be so attractive, but that is merely a plus."
"Why her?"
"Isn't that obvious? For the ritual to work I needed someone innocent and powerful. Since power consume, that is hard to come over. Lucky for me, I heard about Potter's friend. I did some digging and found out that she was very powerful, but due to Potter, she hadn't been consumed by it. Potter helped her stay innocent for this long. Potter is more powerful, you see, and that keeps her modest. And to see him famous just makes her feel sorry for him. She doesn't want that."
"You ruined her."
"I can't take all the credit, my dear Severus," Voldemort smirked and leaned back against the desk. "But she is still lovely, don't you think? And don't you just love the way her pussy feels around your cock?"
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Severus threw himself at the Dark Lord and pressed his hands around his neck, trying to strangle the evil wizard.
Voldemort pushed him off again, but now he looked serious.
"You are going too far, Severus. I can't have my Death Eaters attacking me…"
"I should kill you," Severus hissed. He was far beyond caring what the Dark Lord could do to him. Perhaps he shouldn't have had those last five drinks…
Voldemort sighed. "You give me no choice, Severus. You know what happens to Death Eaters who disobeys me."
Severus crossed his arms. "If you hurt me, Hermione will never forgive you."
Voldemort arched an eyebrow. "Then we have to make sure she never finds out."
He aimed his wand at Severus and the world disappeared.
xxx
Hermione entered their quarter and looked around. Severus war nowhere to be seen. She went to the kitchen, but he wasn't their either.
"Severus?" she called and went to their bedroom which was empty as well.
She went into his study. Everything was like it used to be, neatly placed on shelves and on the desk. Except a piece of paper lying on the desk. Hermione picked it up.
Hermione (it began in Severus handwriting)
I'm sorry about what I said last night. I was just angry and upset. I do love you, you know that. But I can't stand the fact that you don't love me.
So I have decided to go away for some time, to think. Perhaps it would do us both some good to be apart for a while.
Please understand.
Severus
Hermione stared at the piece of paper for almost three minutes before the message sank in. He had left.
She couldn't help but to feel betrayed. And puzzled. He had said that he would try to kill Voldemort if he touched her… Then why did he leave? For all he knew, she could be with the Dark Lord right now.
Perhaps that was why he had left. To calm down. Well, he sure needed it.
Hermione sighed and sat down in his armchair. Some tears leaked out from her eyes. This was silly… Severus would probably be back by the end of the week and they would be friends again. Except that he wanted something more… Oh, at least now she had some time to think too. She could probably need that.
Without further worry, she went to the shower. When she came out again, Voldemort was standing in the sitting room.
"What do you want now?" Hermione asked and held her towel closer to her body.
Voldemort let his eyes sweep over her body. "Don't worry. I'm only looking for your husband. He didn't show up to class."
"He has left."
"Left?"
"Yes, didn't you know? He left me a note saying he needed some time to think." Hermione started to walk toward the bedroom.
"Did he? That was unexpected…"
"Yes. So should I follow the schedule Dumbledore left for me, or will you make me a new one?"
Voldemort waved his hand. "Do what you want…" Then he Apparated out of the room.
Hermione arched an eyebrow. They had been alone, she had just come out from the shower, and he hadn't tried to see her naked? He really must have been looking for Severus.
Ah, well. He did run the school now. He had to make sure everything went smoothly. Now he would have to get someone to do Severus' work.
Hermione sighed and got dressed. She would have Defence Against the Dark Arts in half an hour and she felt well enough to go. She ate a sandwich before she left for class. Ron was already there so she sat down next to him.
"Hi Hermione!" he said and smiled brightly. "How are you?"
"Fine," Hermione said and watched him closely. Something seemed to be wrong. "How are you?"
"Great."
"Oh… So you are not worried about Harry?"
Ron shrugged. "Well, yes, but Harry has always been able to take care of himself. And our Headmaster doesn't want to kill him anymore, so he should do fine. If I was him, I would travel to some warm contrary and settle down."
Hermione arched her eyebrows. "So… you don't care that Volde…"
"Don't speak that name, Hermione!" Ron said with a grimace.
"Okay… so you don't care that the Dark Lor…"
"He is not a… you-know-what anymore, Hermione. Really, you shouldn't be so hard on him. He has changed."
Hermione stared at him. "So you don't care that… he… is our headmaster now?"
"Not really, I mean… it's not like anything has changed. Besides, he isn't worse than Dumbledore."
"Right…" Hermione looked at the other students. Neither of them seemed worried. They were talking to each other in a relaxed way and some laughed. She shivered. What was going on?