Not wanting to test Voldemort's patience, Snape chose to answer his summons immediately and tried to apparate. He was confused for a moment when nothing happened. Thinking frantically, Snape realized that he wasn't going to Voldemort. Voldemort was coming to him. Panic threatened to overwhelm him. Knowing he didn't have much time, Snape literally dashed up the stairs and to Hermione's room. Banging on the door frantically, he shouted her name several times.
[It's Miss Granger to you, Professor.] The sneer in her voice was unmistakable as it whispered in the back of his mind, but Snape didn't have time to fight with her.
[Hermione you have to come with me right now.] Snape was on the verge of complete panic, and Hermione sensed it. He heard the padding of feet on the rug, then the door opening slowly. "What do you want?" she snarled at him.
"Voldemort...." he showed her his arm. "I can't apparate to him, which means he's coming here. You have to hide. Right now." Her eyes widened, but before she could say anything he had grabbed her arm and dragged her into the library. Murmuring a complex spell, he yanked her towards the fireplace. The wall behind it swung backwards, revealing an actual furnished room behind it. Hermione gasped, but didn't have time to ask before she was shoved into it.
"Hermione," Snape hissed, "You'll be able to see and hear everything. Dumbledore uses this room to spy sometimes. Say the name of the person you want to track to the crystal ball. They'll show up if they're on my property. I am warning you right now--no matter what happens, don't you dare leave this place until you see the images of Voldemort and anyone he's with apparating away with your own eyes, or until I personally come to get you. Do you understand me?" Hermione could only nod. He sighed and started to close the wall when she stopped him.
"Professor Snape, what if something happens to you?" He just looked at her strangely, and murmured, "What happens to me is of no consequence." He closed the fireplace resolutely and soon had a fire crackling merrily in front of the passage. Hermione noticed that there was a crystal ball was by one of the chairs that was automatically tracking Snape wherever he went. She saw him telling Minny to hide, his voice in a whisper. Hermione was shocked that she was able to hear him, but attributed it to the crystal ball's power. Suddenly his head jerked up, and he murmured to the frightened house elf, "Take your children now, and hide wherever you can. He is here." Minny summoned the two small house elves she'd seen peeking at her from the kitchen, and watched as Minny ushered them into a kitchen cupboard, casting spells on it to cover it with cobwebs. Hermione realized just how lucky she was to be safe in her hiding place. She could feel the wards humming around it.
The crystal's vision followed Snape to the foyer, where a thin and withered shape already awaited him. Red eyes blazed at Snape from the serpentine face, and a rasping voice addressed him.
"Ah, Severus, it is good to see you." There was a sneer in Voldemort's voice that made Snape's sound sweet and complimentary, even at its worst. Snape immediately fell to the floor before the frightening figure and kissed the hem of his robes fervently. Voldemort only laughed, a dry hacking sound. Hermione shuddered involuntarily. "Yes, that's very good of you Severus," he hissed.
Another figure had apparated behind Snape--a figure who could only be Lucius Malfoy. Draco really did resemble him, and Hermione felt an added pang of compassion for her classmate. How had Draco managed to defy this man? And how could he live with himself knowing that this monster's blood flowed in his veins?
"Severus, there is no need to keep up these false pretenses," Malfoy growled. "Our Lord is all too aware of your disloyalty." Voldemort laughed again, and Hermione wondered if it was possible to grow used to such a disconcerting sound.
"Severus, Severus," the Dark Lord chided mockingly. "It does pain me to see you stray from me like this. I fear I shall have to punish you. Whether you live or die depends on the strength of your own spirit....which means that your survival is highly doubtful." Lucius kicked Snape violently to the ground, then subjecting him to further abuse. Snape had his teeth kicked in, and Hermione heard a couple of his ribs crack with sickening clarity. Voldemort only watched, his amusement apparent. It was all Hermione could do not to cry out and go running to her teacher. Snape was half dead already when Voldemort ordered Lucius to stop.
"Severus, something had happened that we would like to know about. I wanted the mudblood Granger's innocent heart to use in one of my experiments, but when Lucius here was sent to recover her body, nothing was in her grave." Snape feigned confusion so well that even Hermione believed him for a moment. She realized just what a good actor he was. "Tell us Snape!" Lucius bellowed, kicking her Professor once more. "I know you know something. What happened to the Granger girl?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Snape gasped, fighting for air and spitting out some blood and fragments of teeth. "I thought she was dead, and good riddance if you ask me. The sniveling little know-it-all was such a nuisance in class." Hermione cringed at that, but told herself Snape had only been acting.
"She's hardly little," Lucius sneered. "You've had girls younger than she is, though they usually put up a good fight." Hermione was horrified. She knew Snape had a shadowy past, but she hadn't expected to hear that. "Maybe I'm mistaken, Lucius," Snape whispered, "But I thought young girls were always more to your taste. I prefer willing partners that I don't have to snatch from a cradle." Lucius's face reddened, but Hermione felt much better. Snape's tone that time had truly smacked of honesty. Killing and torturing people was one thing in her mind, but raping young girls was another, and in some ways worse.
Voldemort was laughing again. "Boys, boys," he sneered. "Lucius, you may go. I will speak with you again shortly. As for you Severus, we most likely will not meet again. Goodbye." Snape met his eyes unwaveringly. Hermione's heart broke for him. He looked so brave at that moment, even when all hope was gone. The look soon disappeared from his face, however, when Voldemort pointed his wand at the Potions Master and murmured, "Crucio." Soon Snape's entire body was contorted as a result of wracking pain, which only led him to worsen the injuries given to him by Malfoy. Voldemort laughed again, then apparated away. Hermione bolted from the chamber, leaping fearlessly through the still-crackling fire to get to Professor Snape. No matter what terms they were on, she couldn't let him die this way.
[It's Miss Granger to you, Professor.] The sneer in her voice was unmistakable as it whispered in the back of his mind, but Snape didn't have time to fight with her.
[Hermione you have to come with me right now.] Snape was on the verge of complete panic, and Hermione sensed it. He heard the padding of feet on the rug, then the door opening slowly. "What do you want?" she snarled at him.
"Voldemort...." he showed her his arm. "I can't apparate to him, which means he's coming here. You have to hide. Right now." Her eyes widened, but before she could say anything he had grabbed her arm and dragged her into the library. Murmuring a complex spell, he yanked her towards the fireplace. The wall behind it swung backwards, revealing an actual furnished room behind it. Hermione gasped, but didn't have time to ask before she was shoved into it.
"Hermione," Snape hissed, "You'll be able to see and hear everything. Dumbledore uses this room to spy sometimes. Say the name of the person you want to track to the crystal ball. They'll show up if they're on my property. I am warning you right now--no matter what happens, don't you dare leave this place until you see the images of Voldemort and anyone he's with apparating away with your own eyes, or until I personally come to get you. Do you understand me?" Hermione could only nod. He sighed and started to close the wall when she stopped him.
"Professor Snape, what if something happens to you?" He just looked at her strangely, and murmured, "What happens to me is of no consequence." He closed the fireplace resolutely and soon had a fire crackling merrily in front of the passage. Hermione noticed that there was a crystal ball was by one of the chairs that was automatically tracking Snape wherever he went. She saw him telling Minny to hide, his voice in a whisper. Hermione was shocked that she was able to hear him, but attributed it to the crystal ball's power. Suddenly his head jerked up, and he murmured to the frightened house elf, "Take your children now, and hide wherever you can. He is here." Minny summoned the two small house elves she'd seen peeking at her from the kitchen, and watched as Minny ushered them into a kitchen cupboard, casting spells on it to cover it with cobwebs. Hermione realized just how lucky she was to be safe in her hiding place. She could feel the wards humming around it.
The crystal's vision followed Snape to the foyer, where a thin and withered shape already awaited him. Red eyes blazed at Snape from the serpentine face, and a rasping voice addressed him.
"Ah, Severus, it is good to see you." There was a sneer in Voldemort's voice that made Snape's sound sweet and complimentary, even at its worst. Snape immediately fell to the floor before the frightening figure and kissed the hem of his robes fervently. Voldemort only laughed, a dry hacking sound. Hermione shuddered involuntarily. "Yes, that's very good of you Severus," he hissed.
Another figure had apparated behind Snape--a figure who could only be Lucius Malfoy. Draco really did resemble him, and Hermione felt an added pang of compassion for her classmate. How had Draco managed to defy this man? And how could he live with himself knowing that this monster's blood flowed in his veins?
"Severus, there is no need to keep up these false pretenses," Malfoy growled. "Our Lord is all too aware of your disloyalty." Voldemort laughed again, and Hermione wondered if it was possible to grow used to such a disconcerting sound.
"Severus, Severus," the Dark Lord chided mockingly. "It does pain me to see you stray from me like this. I fear I shall have to punish you. Whether you live or die depends on the strength of your own spirit....which means that your survival is highly doubtful." Lucius kicked Snape violently to the ground, then subjecting him to further abuse. Snape had his teeth kicked in, and Hermione heard a couple of his ribs crack with sickening clarity. Voldemort only watched, his amusement apparent. It was all Hermione could do not to cry out and go running to her teacher. Snape was half dead already when Voldemort ordered Lucius to stop.
"Severus, something had happened that we would like to know about. I wanted the mudblood Granger's innocent heart to use in one of my experiments, but when Lucius here was sent to recover her body, nothing was in her grave." Snape feigned confusion so well that even Hermione believed him for a moment. She realized just what a good actor he was. "Tell us Snape!" Lucius bellowed, kicking her Professor once more. "I know you know something. What happened to the Granger girl?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Snape gasped, fighting for air and spitting out some blood and fragments of teeth. "I thought she was dead, and good riddance if you ask me. The sniveling little know-it-all was such a nuisance in class." Hermione cringed at that, but told herself Snape had only been acting.
"She's hardly little," Lucius sneered. "You've had girls younger than she is, though they usually put up a good fight." Hermione was horrified. She knew Snape had a shadowy past, but she hadn't expected to hear that. "Maybe I'm mistaken, Lucius," Snape whispered, "But I thought young girls were always more to your taste. I prefer willing partners that I don't have to snatch from a cradle." Lucius's face reddened, but Hermione felt much better. Snape's tone that time had truly smacked of honesty. Killing and torturing people was one thing in her mind, but raping young girls was another, and in some ways worse.
Voldemort was laughing again. "Boys, boys," he sneered. "Lucius, you may go. I will speak with you again shortly. As for you Severus, we most likely will not meet again. Goodbye." Snape met his eyes unwaveringly. Hermione's heart broke for him. He looked so brave at that moment, even when all hope was gone. The look soon disappeared from his face, however, when Voldemort pointed his wand at the Potions Master and murmured, "Crucio." Soon Snape's entire body was contorted as a result of wracking pain, which only led him to worsen the injuries given to him by Malfoy. Voldemort laughed again, then apparated away. Hermione bolted from the chamber, leaping fearlessly through the still-crackling fire to get to Professor Snape. No matter what terms they were on, she couldn't let him die this way.