Warnings! Rape (non- graphic) torture, violence, mentioning of blood.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. And London Underground to TFL.

Round 6

Ilvermorny Year 5

Theme: The Coffin Shop

Explore characters that commit evil acts to achieve a positive outcome or for the (perceived) greater good.

Buzzwords used: 2. Double agents/spies

3. Ruthlessness

5. Sacrifice

6. Protection and self defence

7. Bending the rules

Main prompt: 2. [Setting] London Underground

Optional prompts:

11. [Spell] Imperio

15. [Action] Getting Kidnapped/Kidnapping

Word count: 2685

Author's Note: AU! I'm introducing an event that had not taken place in canon.

It happens in the summer before the Trio's sixth year, on the same night the Millennium Bridge was destroyed by Fenrir Greyback and other Death Eaters. However I toyed a bit with the timeline and the bridge's destruction happened slightly later here, in this new alternate universe. The event also takes place after Dumbledore asks Severus to kill him and Hermione has not gone to the Burrow yet.

Another note would be, London Underground...is depicted how it is today. Let's say...the Muggles in this Universe had advanced a bit earlier with their Local Transport.

Mansion House is a tube station that is smaller than the Bank Station, which is interlinked with Monument Station. If you know the area, it's much better to go there.

DLR stands for Docklands Light Railway, an automated light metro system.

My timeline for Hermione: 12 in first year (19 September)

13 in second

14 in third; she gains a year and five months due to overuse of the time Turner so she goes beyond 15

16 and 5 months in fourth year

17 and five months in fifth year

18 and five months in sixth year (19 September) However because the action is taking place at the beginning of July, well she would be 18 and ⅔ months. As such, the trace who —is removed automatically so far— had been taken off her wand. But she still has to have her Apparition lessons since she would have needed special treatment otherwise.

Betaed by Shini, Amanda, Crissie, Tee, Ferocious Jaguar and with the looking over of Petra. Thank you all so much!

He had orders to kill all those with her. He had orders to torture her and take every bit of information out of her mind. He had orders to break her and bring her to the Death Eater meeting in several hours' time. And he had orders to obey those orders. 'For the Wizarding World and their cause', one of his Masters had said. 'For the Greater Good' had said the other. To kill, to torture, to break one's spirit until there was nothing left. That was his life now and Severus wished with everything that he had, to change it. Servant of two Masters, his own will had perished long ago. Death Eater, Spy, Potions Master, Bat of the Dungeons, he was all of these and yet none.

He'd been given several other Death Eaters to help him tonight, but he'd managed to lose them after the Millennium Bridge fiasco. Foolish Pure-bloods, they had no idea of Muggle London, and especially the London Underground. Severus had memorised in his mind all the layouts of the stations; he used to spend the summers loitering around—his mother had used to work at the Westminster Underground Station Costa shop, the one on the Circle via Tower Hill line platform. It seemed that Miss Granger had the same knowledge as he had, for she had run towards the Bank Station entrance, disappearing out of sight. He'd seen her from his flight; the others had not even thought to check the Muggle station. They were still cackling with glee at the destroyed Muggle bridge. Severus didn't know if he should be relieved or not that she knew the Underground. After all, only one like both of them would not stop for Mansion House Station. Bank was like a labyrinth.

It would be much harder to catch her there, especially now during the night when she had no Muggles to worry over. That was the greatest relief he had as well: no Muggles. Earlier, when they had first kidnapped her from the Shakespeare's Globe, there had been several exiting the building and he'd had to stun and obliviate them. Of course, there was also the fact that the new Death Eaters he'd been saddled with had no care about that and had managed to let her escape in their eagerness to see the Millennium Bridge destroyed. When they'd realised she was gone, the girl had been running for a few good minutes. And now here they both were, Bank Underground Station.

The Dark Lord didn't care if Dumbledore didn't trust him again after this; a broken Hermione Granger would be of no use to Potter and in his rage, the boy risked letting the Dark Lord in his head. If he didn't do it, he'd be dead. Bellatrix was itching to find a way to eliminate him from the Dark Lord's favourites list. However, Dumbledore, to Severus' horrifying realisation, had ordered him to obey Voldemort. Anything to keep his spy, for the Dark Lord had been clear: catching Hermione Granger and breaking her, kidnapping her and bringing her in front of their revel was more important than spying on the Order of Phoenix.

Neither of his Masters cared how exactly he would manage to do it, he just had to. The Headmaster was sure that Miss Granger would understand; after all, the eighteen-year-old was quite mature and knew how the war worked by now, but Severus had failed to make the old man understand that there would be no more Hermione Granger if he did what he'd been asked. No matter that he didn't know how the old man had summed up the girl's age. She was supposed to become of age in September. And Severus knew as he watched the other Death Eaters fly towards different Muggle houses—deflecting from their objective—that he simply had to do what he'd been asked. For the Greater Good.

He appeared inside the Bank Station, heart hammering in his chest. Once upon a time, he'd been instructed what to do, how to get information out of someone—he'd promptly vomited afterwards. And he'd realised what Monster he'd chosen to serve. Just a day later, he'd found out who were the people the prophecy he'd delivered referred to and he'd gone straight to Dumbledore. He'd gone to protect the woman he'd loved and to make sure he never had to use the instructions he'd been taught, and now here he was: about to put his lessons to good use, on his student no less. He'd been told to be ruthless in his abduction.

Severus despised what he'd been ordered on both accounts; but the old man was right, they needed a spy inside the Death Eater Circle. He couldn't back down now; the stakes were too high.

Bank Station looked eerie at night, everything was so quiet, no escalators or lifts were working and there were no people inside.

"Lumos," he whispered and a ray of light came from his wand. He knew that he should have set Apparition wards, but he didn't want his fellow Death Eaters to sense something, he owed her that much; especially since he didn't know if Fenrir Greyback had left or joined them. And, Severus also knew, she had yet to learn any Apparition, so whatever magic she'd used to get inside hadn't been it. She was trapped more or less, and he'd be the one to take her away.

He followed along the signs towards the Circle Line, if he were in her place, he'd try to get out at the Monument exit of the station. It was the furthest away from all of them. Soon enough, he heard her careful steps and he halted his own.

"Nox," he murmured and there was darkness. He closed his eyes and visualised her walking down the still escalators and then—silence.

She'd heard him. This was it. For better or for worse, she was leaving with him out of the station. He thanked the powers that be that she'd been alone and not with her parents when they'd seen her on the street. No one else but the Order knew where they lived and he wished it to remain that way. At least they would be safe.

"Miss Granger! I can hear you. You have nowhere to run! My fellow Death Eaters are waiting outside. Although," he drawled, "you sure can run. Millennium Bridge to Bank Station in less than 5 minutes? No stops at Mansion House? Impressive. Pity, running won't help you now."

With a flick of his wand, he conjured a glimmering light and fixed it on the ceiling. He went down the stairs himself and he found her in front of the DLR platform, she'd turned and was facing him with a look of determination on her face.

"Expelliarmus!"

He rolled out of the spell's way. "Diffindo!"

"Protego!" but her coat was caught in the spell and one of her sleeves fell on the floor.

"Deprimo!"

She missed, but he was impressed by her quick reactions. She was his best student. "Crucio!" he shouted, trying his best to mean it.

Her shielding charm didn't hold and he saw her falling down to his curse, but then, to his utmost surprise—

"Lumos Solem!"

The light was so strong, Severus had to close his eyes. He heard her getting up and starting to run. Silently he sent a petrifying spell towards her and soon enough, she fell, not expecting it.

"Accio Hermione Granger's wand!" Only after he had it, he cancelled her light spell.

"Finite Incantatem," he choked, the weight on his heart even more so than before. She was watching him with horrified frozen eyes, recognition, and betrayal in both of them.

"Incarcerous," he murmured immediately, tight ropes forming around her.

"Professor Snape," she greeted, and while her voice was steady, he could feel her fear.

"Miss Granger," he gulped and took off his Death Eater robe and mask, setting them aside. The light he'd created was still hovering above them. The Bank Station was deserted and would be so for two more hours. Could he do it here? Or should he kidnap her twice? Once to his house and once to the Dark Lord. Thinking back at Pettigrew who could have been sent yet again to watch him, Severus decided that the old station would do. He set up a silencing spell around the area and levitated her in the middle of the pathway, away from the platform's edge.

"Why," she cried, tearing at his cold heart.

"For the Greater Good," he hissed before he raised his wand. "Crucio!" Her screams of pain echoed around the walls, but he knew he was the only one that would hear them. Him and the Dark Lord when he'd review his memories.

"Crucio," he said again and again, until she didn't scream any longer. Severus had to be careful, the Dark Lord wanted her broken, not insane. He'd have to take her in a somewhat coherent state.

When he dared to look at her, her eyes were filled with tears and her whole body was shaking. There was blood coming out of her mouth and nose, but by the look in her eyes, he could see that her sanity was still intact.

Severus closed his eyes, for he didn't want to face them, the same eyes that had looked at him with trust not so long ago.

"Imperio!" he didn't want to hear her cries any longer, nor her pain. When he opened his eyes, she was watching him with a blank state.

He untied her and threw her a tissue. "Wipe off your blood and," his voice, wavered, "take off your coat."

She did it, of course, and with a pang, he realised he'd wished she would have fought off his curse. 'After minutes of Cruciatus? Could you throw off an Imperio?' his mind screamed at him. "Now take off your jeans and open your shirt."

He didn't want to look at her. For a moment he wished he was the one under Imperio. What was worse after all? Being forced to do evil or doing evil because you had to? He knew in the end, he had to do it—the others would be worse than himself he reasoned—the Dark Lord would kill him and the Light Side would lose their spy. Nonetheless, was it worth it, a young girl's life?

The next few minutes, he couldn't remember them. They were lost in a blur. All he knew was that there was blood and she was smiling because of the curse. All he knew was that he'd done his best for her to suffer the least. Only he couldn't be gentle. He hadn't been… gentle. When he finished, his first thought was to stun her and simply take her away, and then go and face his shame somewhere alone.

However he knew, all would be for nothing if he didn't straighten his Occlumency shields. He started dressing up, working at his shields as he did so. Every moment he'd been over her body was fixated with false pleasure and ecstasy. He felt sick.

He heard her shivering—the Imperio wasn't stopping the cold from reaching her body. Severus pointed his wand at her.

"Dress up," he ordered, his eyes still avoiding her. He heard her shuffling around, groaning in pain, trying to obey his command.

Nonetheless, he couldn't stand her cries of pain any longer, so he turned facing her straight and crouched back down, helping her put the coat on.

He stood and released her from the curse. The change was instantaneous. She shrank far away from him and started sobbing quietly, eyes trained on him. Severus could see she had no more power to resist him.

With a force he didn't know he possessed, he grabbed her and made her stand.

"Please," she coughed, "please, don't." Her voice tugged at his very core ,and for the umpteenth time, he cursed in his head both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore. He had to kidnap her. He couldn't leave her here, for Muggles to find, or worse, his companions. Companions who were probably searching for him right then and it wouldn't be long until they found him—both of them.

"Prof..professor Snape," she pleaded and grabbed his hand, squeezing it.

For the life of him, Severus couldn't figure out what she wanted of him, why was she pleading with her abductor. Or one of them anyway. He was sure that by now she'd realised he'd been in the group of Death Eaters to take her away from the Globe in the first place. Why was she calling him professor still? He was no longer worthy of the title.

"Any last words?" he asked, even though he knew he wouldn't kill her. He had his orders. And he would fulfil them no matter how much it took from him. With a shiver, he remembered the other order Dumbledore had given him.

She didn't answer, but raised her head and looked straight at him. Seeing her teary eyes, Severus knew there would be no salvation for his soul. He shrugged her hands off ,and with his other hand, he pointed the wand at her.

"Get dressed," he hissed, "this time without complaining." She tore her eyes away from him and he could see how she struggled to keep quiet.

After five minutes watching her failing to put her jeans and shirt back on, he gave up and went to lift his abandoned Death Eater robe. Severus threw it at her and put his mask back on his face.

The girl, it seemed, realised what he'd meant and wrapped it around her coat, clutching her bloodied clothes.

Severus conjured a rope and walked closer to tie her hands.

"No, no, no," she cried, backing away, stumbling upon her feet and falling back down on the station's stone floor.

"Shut up!" he warned, but she didn't stop. "Crucio!" he breathed, knowing he couldn't look weak. Her screams were even louder this time. After a while, he stopped. "Legilimens!"

Her mind was fuzzy and she seemed to fight him still, albeit without any power left. Severus couldn't find anything in her mind he didn't already know; no wonder Dumbledore hadn't been more concerned. Just a few seconds had passed, but to Severus they had seemed more. He didn't know exactly how long he'd been in her head. Time meant nothing to him anymore. Tonight had been endless for him. And when dawn would finally arrive, neither of them would be the same.

Not wanting to prolong both of their torture, he murmured again, "Imperio."

She stood up at his silent command, her eyes losing their focus one more time and he managed to tie her hands together. "Don't move," he ordered and she became limp near him.

"Scourgify," he said, pointing his wand at the floor. "Scourgify! Scourgify!" Even after multiple spells, to him the floor looked as if it still had her blood on it. His own hands and clothes would be forever tainted.

"Put your jeans on, without a sound," he threatened and forced himself to watch her compliance, pain visible in her eyes. A pang of regret hit through his heart, however he didn't need her body enticing any other Death Eater.

He drew her closer to him and vanished the light he'd conjured earlier. They stood in darkness one near another, their breathing uneven. She was peaceful under his Imperio, whereas he was gasping, struggling for air as the enormity of what he'd done settled on his shoulders. He took a moment to go back and add glee and sadistic pleasure to every moment of him using the Cruciatus on her.

Counting the time, he realised the station's staff would come in soon and that the meeting was close as well. Taking in a long breath, Severus released the Silencing Charms he'd put over the station and securing her body under his arms he Apparated both of them away, right into the Dark Lord's lair; Occlumency shields in place.